Entity
by Tsuki-the-moon
Summary: Strange things have been happening to loki after he arrived in midgard. it stares at him, a long slender entity with no face. full summary in story. Rating mature for a little gore and lots of angst and feels. DISCLAIMER- contains slenderman. i dont really count him as a cross-over./ loki eccentric, science buddies, brotherly love, lil steve/coulson(maybe. not sure yet)
1. preface

**Author's note to all**

**I recently discovered an entity named 'slender man' and while learning a few things about him, I realized he would be a great host in torturing our beloved Loki. So here I present you, delusional Loki contorted within the realm of his own imprisoned mind, and slender man as the conductor of the long train of consciousness. All inspiration to write (finally) an avengers fanfic is thanks to all the authors of all the great avengers stories I am following, and their stories which lie happy in my favorites.**

Oh and btw, Loki probably got more than one threat from the other then we've seen in the movie, just a heads up if you're wondering why the story starts of like this.

EDIT - the page breaks wouldnt work so i had to try again

* * *

**Ch1- Preface**

_Don't look forward to the day you stop suffering, because when it comes you'll know you're dead._

_- __Tennessee Williams_

The Other's words of warn were loud and clear. It rang in his ears for quite a long time as he sat at the back of the truck, the underground tunnel crumbling behind them as they drove faster and faster. He brought his weary eyes to the attention of his new pawns. Their piercing ice blue eyes brought little reassurance of their current situation. The man presently sitting opposite of him held a bow across his back. The scientist sat next to him. They didn't seem slightly troubled with the fact that they could be squished any second now. He relaxed, letting his shoulders roll back as they met the cold night air. With little interest, he decided to question his new toys, one by one.

"What is your name, man who bears a strong heart?"

"Clint Barton."

Loki smiled. He would question his new pawns and little by little, he will learn everything about them. What makes them tick, what keeps them up at night. What are the nightmares of their souls.

Suddenly, something caught his eyes. Beyond the trees, he saw a flicker. It was only for a moment that he let himself get distracted. White. That was the first thought that entered Loki's thoughts as he turned away. Another was 'blank'. It had no face. In his life, Loki had never seen a creature with no expression as he had just encountered. He resumed to his questioning, but the image burned into his brain, pre-occupying half of his attention to the answers given to him by the scientist named Erick Selvig. The image stayed there, content with its spot in the brain, for now.

* * *

Loki bared his teeth as his transmission with the other ended. _If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevasse where I can't find you. You think you know pain? He will make you long for that so sweet as pain. _Their voice echoed in his head and he growled, rubbing his temples. Loki sat there on the stairs, away from the others he watched his new toys bustling about, busying themselves with the tesseract. Loki was quite content with his spot, dismissing the fact he wanted to have a shower, when a sudden chill went up his spine. It wasn't a simple chill where one felt cold. It was a chill of unfamiliar feels, a nauseating feeling where an unknown entity inside one's gut wanted to claw out and destroy everything in its path. It was of anguish, a nagging bite, and it brought enough fear inside the god of mischief that he needed the company of his pawns to distract him. He walked into the white see-through tent to Selvig.

"…The Tesseract is showing me so much. It's...it's more than knowledge, it's truth." The doctor muttered in awe.

"I know. What did it show you, Agent Barton?"

"My next target."

"Tell me what you need."

Barton reached over where his bow lay and flicked it.

"I need a distraction. And an eyeball."

Satisfied, Loki left the tent with his new favorite pawn and a few other agents to discuss their new plan. As he led on in their current hiding place, the dreading feeling came back. It was drum of paranoia, beating against his skull, threatening to spill. Loki shook his head, willing for it to go away, then there it was again. Tall and pale, with an exceptionally sharp looking suit, it stood there in the corner of the room, collecting itself to the shadows. Stunned, Loki stood to a stop, mind whirring. It had been more than a week since he saw the dull creature, and he thought none of it. Seeing his master come to a stop, Barton stepped to beside the tall man and looked up at him quizzically.

"Sir? Is something wrong?"

The agent's voice broke his trance and he whipped around. The figure was no longer there.

"It… is nothing. Let us resume."

* * *

Loki looked around the cell he was imprisoned him. It was rather… tedious. There was nothing to entertain him. Of course, he could escape this pathetic 'cage' anytime he could, but that was not the plan. Not yet. He just had to be a little more patient. As he waited, standing, something else other than the cameras caught his eyes. There it was again. Motionless, it stood in front of him, right outside of his cell. It towered over him, head just able to be seen from the glass walls, its forehead disappearing above the metal holding the glass. Loki stared at the entity, a dull headache latching itself upon him. He growled, the sound rumbling through his whole body and glared at the creature. Loki could not tell if it was looking at him or not. That blank placid… nothingness gave nothing. Being ever so close, the god observed the 'man'. It had no hair, no eyes, no ears, no mouth, no nose… nothing. He wore a red tie, the color reminding the god of fresh blood that never dried. He stared, wondering how it crept up to him without him realizing. As the headache continued to throb, the entity finally moved; it tilted his head forward, back bending, 'looking' at Loki like curious child at a zoo. Loki didn't like it. He was no caged animal, an inferior being, easily trampled and killed for its meat. As Loki continued to scowl at the idea, the entity slowly brought out a hand, lifting it to the cage. Loki stared, and as soon as it touched the thick glass, a feel, what felt like an electricity, coursed through his veins. It wasn't the sort where one was overly excited. No, it was a suffocating, throat choking electricity, and as it coursed through his veins, he felt every cell in his body shut down momentarily. He gasped, and looking back up, he could _feel_ it smiling at him, satisfied that it brought the god some pain it intended before. Loki, full of pride did not want to give this disgusting being another second of satisfaction and stood up straighter then before. It seemed to frown, not that such expression could be seen, and stood up to its greatest length. Loki did not back down, and as he opened his mouth to say something with his silver tongue, a small sound interrupted him. He whipped around, completely forgetting about the pain and the creature. There stood the red haired agent. She was charming, her poker face revealing nothing. She was quite different from the others, but just like the others, she was human, a mere, weak mortal. His head-ache was gone, and once again, the entity was gone, leaving him with the mortal.

"There are not many people that can sneak up on me."

"But you figured I'd come."

"After. After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I would co-operate."

"I wanna know what you've done to Agent Barton."

Loki smiled. This would be interesting.

* * *

Loki looked about his new surroundings. It was well furnished and had a spectacular view of the Midgard, although the sights weren't as flourishing as his home Asguard. Loki immediately banished the thought. _Asguard is not your home, remember? It never was. You don't have one._ He gritted, hands clenching at the staff for reassurance. He looked up to see Selvig setting up the portal. His time of victory was coming, he could feel it. It was a pity, his favorite pawn, agent Barton, could not join him in his glory. Loki smiled. At least he will be with his people to watch, the world crumbling around them. Loki walked to the sides of the tesseract, his emerald green eyes glowing with the lights of the cosmic cube. Its power felt warm to the gods' mind, as he counted the last seconds to his Grand opening. No longer would he be thought as Thor's mere little 'brother', no, he will be the ruler of Midgard, the great ruler of the pathetic Midgardians, the all-powerful. Loki, the god of mischief, Loki, the lie-smith, Loki, the one with the silver tongue. He laughed a hysterical laugh. It just felt so unreal. Something caught up to his throat as he relished his final steps to victory. He choked, stepping away from the tesseract and the busy scientist. Someone, _something_ was with him. _Who?_ Loki whipped around, staff gripped tight in hand. _What? _He went back into the shelters of the iron man's tower, away from the prying eyes of New York City. He scoured every inch of surface his eye could get on. He saw absolutely nothing. _It's there, it's there. Keep looking._ The lie-smith clung on to the staff, its' power the only reason he was there at the first place. Loki relaxed, seeing he was truly alone along with the scientist. Loki wished he hadn't thought that. For as he turned, there it was, staring, _staring_ at him. Its' hands, clasped together, rubbing, shadows clinging onto the entity, and Loki could not help but shiver at its' presence. They stood there, staring at each other for a while, and Loki could feel the dull headache coming back.

"What are you looking at, you despicable impudent being?" Loki hissed making sure every word was dragged out in a way finger nail was dragged against a chalk board. The… man with no face 'stared' at him, giving no responses to the threats Loki continued to spew out.

"You dare look down at me? Who do you think you are? You are _nothing._ You are pathetic! Have you no life, but to follow me, a god. What, has my glory blinded you? You disgust me… even lacking the basic feature what even a bare Midgardian holds. You are even inferior!" Loki started to become more and more frustrated as his words seemed to have no effect on the creature.

"Begone you simpleton!" Loki directed his staff to the staring entity and let the blue crystal blast away. That is, what he intended, but as soon as the staff pointed to its target, his body froze. It was a chilling grip to his body and it froze him to the bones. The entity was no longer there. Instead it stood next to him, cocking its head to the side, intrigued. Loki was able to muster a menacing snarl as it reached towards the staff. In contact, the crystal gleamed, and instantly, Loki was shot across the room with the attack the entity was supposed to have. Loki gasped, the pain the same as how the man out of time deflected his beam. Groaning inwardly, the god stood up to see the entity, shadows trailing behind it, walking towards him. Loki hissed.

"What… have you done you -"

The man with now face was in front of him. Loki blinked, heart beating too fast for his liking. A sickly pale hand reached out to him and touched the gods' chest. Loki could not remember when the last time he felt such immense pain in him was. It was as if the entity reached into his body and grabbed his heart, stopping it. Loki couldn't function properly his body; his lung was having trouble breathing. His mind was going everywhere but here. He faltered, trying to speak, trying to reason with the beast before him, the monster seeming to enjoy every minute of his labored breathe. As soon as the pain had come, it was gone. In a blink of an eye, Loki was down on the ground, hands brought to his chest plate, staff forgotten on the ground. Those mere seconds felt like hours.

"…Who are you?"

The creature bent down from its' incredible height to meet the god's eye level. Loki's head throbbed in pain as the creature placed itself next to the god's ear. The god waited, expecting a deep voice to say something to him, anything, but there was nothing. Then he heard it. Hearing was not the right word to describe what Loki had just experienced. It was words, formed in side his mind painfully, a long fingernail, scratching the words on to his fleshy brain, and letting it bleed. As soon as the transaction was done, it was gone. Vanished. There was no magic, no mist or vapor. Just gone, as if it was all but the figment of Loki's imaginations. The god stood, shaking off what just happened and walked out to meet the bright blue sky. It was time.

But he could not help, no, he couldn't. For just like their first encounter, the words, those two single words had imprinted itself into his brain, and no matter how he wanted it to go away, how he willed it, it wouldn't. It just wouldn't.

_GeT rEaDy_

* * *

"Puny god."

Loki couldn't help but let out a long whimper of pain as the green beast walked away, leaving him in the crater that shelled him. Loki honestly had no idea what just happened to him. He was yelling at the beast and then all of a sudden he was swept off his feet, then the next thing he knew, he was there, lying on the ground, every part of his body aching, wondering what on earth just happened. _When will the pain ever stop?_

_NeVeR_

Loki's eyes winded. It was here. He briefly wondered if the blank faced man's pain was worse than the hulks'.

_WoUlD yOu LikE tO kNoW?_

The headache was coming again, and Loki mentally winced. Was this some side effect of being near the being?

The god growled as he finally saw the entity. It stood at the edge of the crater near his feet, tilting its head to the side, looking quite amused at the sight of the god put to shame. Loki stayed still. It was pointless to stand, his joints were screaming at him. He let out loud sigh and eyed the slender figure with venom.

"What business do you have with me?"

No words were curved into Loki's mind and the god sighed after a while. He flexed his hands for a good measure and silently listened to the battle accruing at the moment outside the penthouse. He heard screams of the citizens and the explosions. He chuckled. He turned his attention to the monster.

"Do you hear that? Isn't it beautiful? This day… it was supposed to be mine." Loki smiled, the very thought bringing a slight joy to his facials. But the expression quickly darkened and his tone came to a nasty turn. "But no… Thor and his contemptible new friends had to ruin it. It has always been that way. I will try to do something… and he will always come along with his meddling friends and ruin the surprise. Thor… and his bloody friends…" Loki gnashed his teeth, his jaws in a fixed position as he continued to spill his anger at the unknown being. It was the only one that didn't seem to judge him. It was the only one that stayed around long enough to hear his words. "Anywhere, everywhere Thor went, he'd always make new friends, while I'd… I'd make enemies and destruction to the path. I don't want to! I don't mean to! But they always blame me without hearing me out and…"

Loki stopped. He was so into what he was saying, filled with such bitter anger, he didn't realize the entity was no longer at his feet, but by the crater's side, bending over, its face a few inches away from his. If Loki hadn't known better… the entity seemed to be _smiling_ at him. A great stretched smile, reaching from the left temple to the right. Loki grimaced as it smiled, seeming ever so happy.

"By the name of Odin's despicable beard are you looking at?" Loki spat his step fathers name out. He expected saying the name would be a difficulty without having the memories come rushing back. But what he did not expect was the words, forming itself on top of the flesh of his brain.

_YoU, SoN oF lAuFeY_

Loki stared, stunned, but gathered his composure quickly. "How do you-"

_I kNoW EvErYtHinG, gOd oF mIsChIeF. I KnOw wHaT YoU aRe tHinkINg, I kNow WhEn yOU aRe sLeePinG,I kNoW YouR dArKesT sEcReTs, nIGhTmaReS, mEmOrIEs. I kNoW_

Loki inwardly shivered as it leaned closer, his head hurting, ready to explode.

_EvErYtHiNg_

And it was gone, leaving Loki staring quite wide eyed at the ceiling. His heart throbbed in an alerting state, and he clenched his hands, his limbs trembling. He hadn't even noticed how much as he gathered his strength up to at least bring his body to a sitting position. He gasped. It was rather a painstakingly long process as he straightened his cramped arms. The headache started to disappear, than Loki noticed he was, once again, not alone. Struggling, he turned around and saw than his dear brother Thor and his new friends, each and every one ready to seize him and beat some sense to him. His previous pawn, agent Barton was at front, an arrow pointing between his eyes, clearly furious. Loki's mouth was agape, seeing that his pathetic army of Chitauri had failed. Eyeing each avenger, he took a small breathe.

"…If it's all the same to you…"

Loki looked at the ground, his mangled legs, and he was speechless for a few moments. He knew when he was defeated. His eyebrows came to a sad frown, an opposite to his mouth, shyly smiling.

"…I'll have that drink now."

He was for once, thankful they were there. As his brother grabbed him by the arms and dragged him up, he somehow knew he was safe, he would be constantly surrounded by others, and the hideous creature wouldn't be there.

The man with no face stood behind the crowd of heroes, long arms clasped at the back of his body, the long shadows drifting in and out of him. The fun will begin soon, it just knew.

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**What do you think? Please RR :D**

**Lol – lots of love.**


	2. Answers to failure

**Heloo!**

**first of all, i want to thank 6 speical reviewers who popped into my inbox after only a day or less after i uploaded this story!**

**yes, it will be a bit of horror and for those who want to be scared, i will do my best to scare you in the most disturbing way slender man possibly do. (which is pretty much scary as hell and disturbing in many ways)**

**for slenderman fans, im sorry if i'm not portraying the creature well enough, but this is how i depict him, so dont hate!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

___Above all things let us never forget that mankind constitutes one great brotherhood; all born to encounter suffering and sorrow, and therefore bound to sympathize with each other.__  
_**_ - _**_Albert Pike_t

**Ch2- Answers of failure.**

Loki wasn't quite sure what to make of his situation. It was almost a déjà vu, being in the large glass cage meant for the green beast. It had been exactly one day since his failure in conquering the realm of Midgard, and now he was reduced to wait in this inferior cage. His looked down at the cuffs that with-held his magic. His magic was the only thing that was keeping the pain of the previous assault by the hulk away, and without his magic, his wounds were healing at the rate of a mere Midgardian, and every part of his body was aching. He felt hollow, an empty shell. The magic was part of him and without that, he was reduced to the likes of something between Midgard and Jotun. Loki smirked. At least he was Jotun. Being a frost giant was much better than being a Midgardian. He was thankful that the cuffs actually didn't take away _all_ his magic. It was an exaggeration. He had enough to maintain his Asguardian form. He really was thankful, but he would never say that. He looked up to see the glass door open. It was an agent, and who he was, did not matter to Loki. Following the gesture, he followed out and into a narrow corridor. They were flanked with multiples, perhaps twenty, maybe more, guards of S.H.I.E.L.D. Loki smirked. It was nice to still be considered a threat and be taken seriously. Loki just wondered where they were going. They came to a metallic door, just a simple door, and the agent that first led him out of the cage gently pushed him. Loki whipped his head around and spoke in a hushed tone.

"Touch me again, and you shall regret it for the rest of you and your family's life." He may not have his magic, and yes his hands were cuffed; but there was enough area between the cuffs connecting his hands together that he could kill the man, perhaps, with the flick of his hands. The agent took no response, but stepped well away from the god, fearing his life. Loki smirked, satisfied. He turned his attention to what the room held was surprised to say the least that his brother was sitting on a chair, opposite of an empty one with a metallic table between them. Thor stood to greet his brother.

"Bro-"

"Do not call me that." Loki hissed, cutting Thor off. "I am not your brother. You know of this, Thor, stop acting as if you don't." Thor looked off to the side, eyes looking like a kicked puppy.

"I apologize."

Thor gestured to the empty chair and Loki gracefully sat down, eyeing the guards as they shuffled out, closing the door behind them. He heard a soft click and presumed they locked it. _No escape for me today_ Loki gently thought before rotating his head around to his brother. Thor looked directly at Loki, unafraid of anything, bold even, and blue eyes filled with sentiment.

_Pathetic._

"Has your father yet to pronounce my punishment? Or is he simply too ashamed?"

Loki knew it did the trick, for Thor flinched at the venom of his words and looked away for a short while before returning his full attention to his little brother.

"Brother," Loki glared, "father has yet to decide on your punishment. While he decides, you are to be placed here in Midgard until further notice." Thor said this with much difficulty, for he did not know how Loki would react. As Thors' thoughts had concluded, he was not far from the truth. As Loki listened to the last word, he had mixed motion to this. He did not want to stay in this awful lowly realm anymore where he was defeated in the most humiliating way, but neither did he want to go back to Asguard, where he would have to face the disgust of the Asguardians and the wrath of Odin. Loki simply stared at Thor, quite unsure how to respond. Thor did the same. It was quite funny, how the two brothers stared at each other, complete statues, seeming almost as if there was nothing wrong in between the two. Picture seeming perfect. Loki broke the illusion, shaking his gaze off and putting knives and daggers into his brother's form. Thor straightened, feeling Loki's intense gaze and stood, Loki following suit immediately.

"Brother I -"

"You suit me ill, Thor, for you should know yourself better than I. stop disgracing your glory with the pity likes of me, a Jotun, and be in your merry way!" Loki spat 'Jotun' out. He largely did not consider himself as the ghastly giants, but if there was anything to shut his bro – Thor up, than it was to bring his true self out. It truly did the magic, for Thors' mouth was clamped tight shut and looking down at his feet, teeth grinding and eyes darting, looking for words to say back. Thor was never good with words. His little brother had always the nick knack for the tongues. It was moments like these that he greatly regretted in not paying any attention to classes in the younger days. The younger days…. Oh how Thor wished he could go back and change so many things. He looked to meet his brothers' deathly stare, and felt no anger but deep sadness. If only he hadn't done this, if only he hadn't done that, then perhaps his brother wouldn't be in such a state. Perhaps, perhaps, if only, If only…

Loki watched as Thor stared at the ground, and finally look up. He was ready to bite, to yell and tear his brother up even more, so that he wouldn't be able to get up again. But when their eyes met, those feelings, that fire, it crackled ever so softly. Emerald met sapphire. Those eyes… Loki stared as Thor's brilliant blue swam, gentle waves coming in and out of the tide. There was no anger, no bitterness, no threat that he wanted, what he… expected. There was pity, guilt, sorrow, a feel of nostalgia. Loki grinds his teeth and clenches his hands tight. _I don't need your pity!_ He wants to scream, beat his brother, yell, anything. As child-like it would've seen, Loki was in no mood to be mature as his bro – Thor was being. A tantrum that was what he wanted to throw. Loki growled loudly, getting Thor's dazed attention.

"I don't need your sentiment!"

Thor responded slowly, his eyes catching back to reality before sinking back to his mind. "Brother…" Thor started before Loki launched forward.

* * *

All eyes were on the camera, watching the mouths move of the demi-gods and eyeing each movement of their enemy, expecting Thor to catch fire whenever Loki spoke. The avengers were washed, neatly dressed, and as calm as they should be, they weren't. Their enemy was captured, secure, and most of all powerless. But who was to say he couldn't escape again? Barton had reminded the rest that he was no longer in control of the god, and so no one could help him. But this was the god of mischief they were dealing with. God of lies, god of treachery and evil.

"_You suit me ill, Thor, for you should know yourself better than I. stop disgracing your glory with the pity likes of me, a Jotun, and be in your merry way!"_

Their voice was so loud, it was as if they were in the same room as the gods. Tony cocked his head a little as he watched the two gods stand opposite of each other and frowned. "What the heck's a Jotun?" Black widow gave no response, her silent stare never leaving the monitor. Barton gave a quick look at the iron man before turning his attention to the screen. Captain America shrugged, eyeing the doctor quickly before turning to his original composure. Iron man finally stared at the brown orbs that seemed to hold great knowledge of the situation. Banner gave a quick cough, catching the attention of the two assassins that Stark had previously failed to catch the direct attention of. The doctor quickly cleared his throat, Steve finally turning around. Stark raised his eyebrows, a gesture to speak.

"I believe… If my research is correct, Jotun is a Nordic frost giant, who back a million years ago were representative of nature and feminine –"

"So, what, little reindeer games is a frost giant? He's not that big the last time I was with him." Tony cut off rudely.

"Well I guess he's lying than. God of lies, what do you expect?" Barton barked out. He stared begrudgingly at the screen, his eyes arrows ready to strike at the enemy.

"_Brother –"_

Thor's voice was abruptly cut off. The avengers whipped around to see Loki grabbing at his brother's throat.

"Holy shit!" Tony jumped to his feet, Steve doing the same, the assassins already running ahead of them. Banner stayed behind, eyes glued to the screen, ears wide open.

* * *

Loki could see it. His sleek hands, wrapping around the large throat, golden hair dancing, caught between his nimble fingers, his arms snaking its way towards its' destination, eyes flashing, nose flaring, teeth gnashing, roaring, ears exploding as adrenaline coursed through his veins. Chains clinked against each other, meeting, and hands enclosing its target, snakes fangs ready to bite, to sink its venom in and kill its prey. Loki watched, Thor's eyes widening, hands up in flash to grab at his throat, mouth agape, step wavering. Loki could see it. Muscles moving under his fingers, lungs struggling for breathe, eyes rolling back. Large calloused hands grabbing at his own, deathly pale contrasting against the golden tan. Loki could see it. Thor, the great mighty Thor, tremble for his last breathe of life before falling to his death. He could see it. He could, but he couldn't do it.

Loki stared, eyes wide open, anger spitting out of him in a smoke, his hands weakly wrapped around Thor's throat, Thor's hands going up halfway before going back down weakly. _Do it._ Loki growled and moved closer, arms wedged between him and Thor's armored chest. He wringed his hands, his fingers digging into the flesh little by little. Thor gave no response except for the wide blue eyes, searching, searching at his little brother's actions.

"Brother…?"

"Don't call me that!" Loki screamed at his brother's face, not caring if any spit came out or not. He could do it. He could end it. Right here, right now. It would be all over. He would find peace in his life. No longer would he be a stepping ladder, but the stairs to perfection and glory. The one and only son…

"Brother…"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Loki could feel his tears welling up, armies of little droplets, ready to jump out and be free again. He hated this. Loki absolutely hated this, feeling so weak. Again. He wanted Thor to lash out, to stop him, to be the fire against his fire. But no. once again, he was out of Thor's league. Once again, he, no matter how he tried, was out of reach, never reaching his brother's level. He could never be his equal. His brother's…. Thor's… equal…

Loki gave a sharp sob in which Thor reacted loudly to. His sapphire eyes widened twice as big as it already was, and his nose flared, in shock of hearing such noise. He expected tears. His guts coiled inside of him, guilt and shame biting and eating away, knowing it was his at fault for putting Loki into such situation. His fault for defiling his brother into something else. Loki bit his lip, eyes cringing, breathe rattling against his chest. _Compose yourself. Do not show weakness. Never again. Are you not god of lies after all?_ Fighting the tears away, Loki grounded himself, memories rushing in an out like the tides of the ocean. _Sentiment. _When Loki looked up, there were no tears, none but the emerald tainted with blood lust and anger. He slipped away the hands, chains clinking loudly, hurting Thor's ears as the silence continued. Loki stepped backwards, eyeing Thor all the way as he regained his composure, looking Thor down by the nose. He gave a quick look at the ground and held his hand to his chest to sweep away invisible lint.

"Forgive my… outbreak, Thor. It shall not happen again." His voice was stiff, each word drawn out to the last of its' syllable.

"Brother please –" Thor started but once again, Loki cut him off. He scowled at himself for acting so vulnerable towards the golden one and straightened up.

"Do not say no more. We have done enough talking. But keep in mind…" Loki glowered, "the next time you call me '_brother'_, I shall not hesitate in wringing your throat to oblivion!" he spat.

"I –" Thor started once again, but the world was cruel, and it was there that the avengers had burst in with guards, guns pointing at his little brother, ready to shoot. Barton was the first to rush in, arrows at his back and one already pointing between the god of mischief's eyes. The other assassin had her guns at Loki's legs, in case he tried to escape, and lastly Steve and tony came rushing in bare handed. The assassins looked rather stoned and collected, while tony was very well confused looking.

"You're not dead? We saw rock of ages going for you neck!" he could see the clear distance between the gods as if nothing had happened. The statement calmed Steve down a little, but the rest of Shield's operatives weren't the same. Guns and an arrow hovered in the air, ready to give the enemy enough holes to call the remnants a sponge.

"Stop! Put your weapons down friends! My bro – Loki means no harm!" Thor bellowed. It didn't do the trick. Loki gave a charming smile before putting his hands up slowly. It was a great feeling, to know, even though you were stripped out of your powers, that the enemies still feared you, still knew what you were capable of, that they knew their place.

"Clearly there is nothing to worry about? I am chained and stripped of my powers. What could I possibly do?" Loki mocked.

"You tried to kill the god of thunder, that's what."

Fury stepped into the picture, his coat whirring behind him. Loki blinked. Loki frowned. The dark coat reminded him of something… Fury looked to the assassins and waved his hand. The guards gave a nod and marched out, the assassins an exception. Barton lowered his arms in disappointment, wanting to get even with the monster before him. Natasha gave a small nod and lowered her weapons. Fury stepped forward to Loki, an eye staring him down with contempt. Loki gave a smile. _Ah, the man of bark but no bite._ Loki simply loved toying with the man before him. Oh how this one eyed mortal was at the top of his little pyramid, holding onto justice like a lifeboat, yet such little power and time he possessed he held to accomplish it.

"What's the matter? Has the fury in you tranquilized?"

Fury resisted the urge to punch the god before him. For a normal criminal scum, he would've gladly done it. But with Thor next to him, he was something close to fried turkey if he ever took such action.

"Loki, it seems you are stuck here in earth while your father –"

"HE IS NOT MY FATHER!"

The room came to an eerie silence. Loki regretted his loud outburst, but he couldn't do anything about it, and so continued glaring holes at the one eyed man. Thor looked at his little brother with eyes full of sadness that tony soon realized after scanning each and every of his team's expression after the outburst. Was it just him, or was everyone completely just utterly uninterested in what was currently going on? The rest un-including Thor had a very bored expression, _okay, maybe not Steve_, who looked quite confused and perhaps a little sentimental towards the enemy. Tony shook the thoughts away and gave a small gesture at the two stiff figures at the center of their attention.

"So, as the director was saying, you're gonna be stuck here with us mortals for some time, so you better behave, or else, we might throw you out into the streets or something. Maybe a torture or two?"

Loki quickly regained his equanimity and silently thanked the mortal for distracting him with insults. "I don't really think you can Stark, it is not your call after all. And even so you were to partake such actions –" Loki gave a smirk at the man in charge who gave no response, "I'm not sure if the all-father or Thor will agree into such arrangements."

Thor could not help but give a small nod in agreement in which the rest of the avengers looked on with disbelief.

"It is true my friends. As evil the actions my broth – Loki took, he is still of Asguard and a prince. He shall not be harmed in anyway whilst his sentence is yet announced"

Loki almost looked triumphed at one angle, but with another glance, he held no such expression, only eyes far away and lips drawn to a thin line. There was the same head-ache coming onto him, and the voices of the avengers became a distant sound. He tried to focus in their argument, what they were talking about, how he would retort back and break their bond, just like the last time he had done with the staff. But his visions twirled into a spin, ears muting and breathe stopping. Because there it was again, standing behind the avengers, hands behind its' back darkness swirling around him like tentacles- were they tentacles? Loki looked up slightly, facing the blank entity with a dull expression of his own. The small mumbles became a silent now, and he could only hear the headache, the blood rushing into his brain in a loud _thump_, fists knocking madly at his temples. He clenched his fists, teeth gnashing against each other as his vision shutting down momentarily. He closed his eyes tightly, looking away and nestling his chin to his chest. _Why won't you go away you scum?_ Loki winced softly, the headache coming louder and louder. _Go away. I don't want you now. Not here. Not anywhere. _Hands suddenly grabbed at him and there was a voice, muffled as if someone had stuffed fabric into his ears. It was familiar, but he couldn't tell who it was. The noise became louder and louder, his head throbbing in immense pain and he opened his eyes. It wasn't the entity that stared back at him, but Thor whose face was etched in worry and fear. _Fear… isn't that what I always wanted from others?_ Loki quietly questioned himself as Thor continued to shake him. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath as his lungs burned, his head growing light headed, the pain going away. His hands were shaking, and after the tenth time Thor shook him, he gasped for air, grateful lungs sucking in as much as they could. Thor stopped and watched with worry eyes as Loki tried to balance himself, hands pushing away from Thor's hold.

"It's just you…" he couldn't help but mutter, a somehow large relief rolling off his shoulders.

* * *

"So how do you treat criminals at Asguard? Do you treat all of them like kings and queens too? Have a little tea party here and then?" tony mocked loudly at the god.

"No! Loki is different!" Thor defended.

"Yeah, like he tried to rule over our home and kill hundreds while at it." Natasha retorted.

"He deserves justice! He's guilty!" Steve added, fire burning furiously inside of him.

"I was treated like his damn personal monkey! He better not be left of easy!" Barton said, as calm his voice was, it was definitely giving off venom.

"Friends, please! Calm yourselves! He is my brother –" Thor abruptly stopped, expecting Loki to scold him, but there was nothing. He whipped around, slightly confused, to his little brother. Loki was staring at an empty space behind the avengers, eyes focused yet distant. His mouth was slightly agape, as if he was staring at something that simply wasn't there.

"Brother?"

Loki continued to stare, the rest of the avengers catching onto the god's gaze and turned around. There was absolutely nothing there. They looked back to see the enemy wince a little. _Wince._ _He fucking winced, _Tony thought in shock as the fallen god before him continued to stare, finally close his eyes. Steve noticing the fists clenching tight, teeth grinding against each other, later looking down to touch the chest. Sweat started to show and Thor finally took action. Natasha watched in curiosity as Thor's large hands grabbed onto his brother's arms and shook him, calling out.

"Brother? Brother what is the matter! Brother?"

The shakes turned more aggressive as Loki gave no response. Thor moved Loki with more force, almost shouting. Fury took a step forward, wanting to take hold of the situation in case Loki was trying to escape. The two assassins understood immediately and took battle stations. The others, in the other hand, were too entranced at what was going on.

"Loki! Loki look at me! Loki why won't you listen?"

Thor shook with great force, Loki's head rolled up to meet Thor's face unintentionally. His eyes were still closed, clamped shut in pain, and his mouth was drawn into a thin line. There was a large frown on the pale mans' face as he continued to sweat, pale face growing paler a perhaps purple too by the second. Thor continued to shake and call his brother's name. He felt weak, once again, unable to do anything to save him, unable to help his little brother when he needed it. _Useless, useless._

The avengers stared at the god, quite alarmed at what was going on. The shield members' stance faltered.

"Fuck, what the hell's wrong with him?" Tony barked, obviously confused at what was going on.

"I do not know!" Thor yelled, panic evident.

"Thor what did you do?" Steve yelled, getting more and more worried by the second of the paling face of their fallen enemy.

"Is he breathing?" Natasha loudly questioned, falling into step of the rest of her team, Hawkeye following her step.

Fury quickly took charge and shoved his hand in between the area above the god's nose and mouth. His widened slightly in surprise before turning grave. "He's not breathing."

"His pulse is slowing down – and by that, WAY down." Steve quickly commented after checking the pulse himself too.

"Loki! BROTHER! OPEN YOU EYES! PLEASE!"

Loki's eyes snapped open and Thor could see relief flooding into not only him, but also Loki's emerald eyes. His face softening. But he also realized he wasn't breathing either. Thor shook the smaller man again, hoping it would kick some sense into him, and it didn't.

"Brother! Breathe!"

Loki's eyes started to roll back, whole body shaking, hands twitching.

"Speak louder Thor!" Fury commanded voice full of control.

"Holy shit fuck man!" Tony grabbed at his hair, Steve awfully still and staring.

"BROTHER!" hands shaking vigorously.

Loki finally gasped, eyes snapping back to reality, face returning into a healthier pale of white than previously. He shook in Thor's hands and Thor beamed with happiness. It turned into a sad frown as Loki started to push him away with his shaking arms, steps wavering as it tried to get away. As Loki took a breather, it was as if everyone else had been holding their breathes as well. A sense of calmness returned from the calamity and the team breathed in harmony with the fallen god, strangely enough, even though he was their enemy.

They watched in wary as the god tried to regain his balance, everything going shaky.

Tony was about to say something along the lines of "What the fuck just happened", but the fallen enemy's voice interrupted him.

"It's just you…"

It could've been a whisper in the wind, very quiet and subtle, but everyone knew better. It wasn't filled with anger or pain, no; it was filled with relief and something like happiness that they never heard from Loki. It was as if he expected something… someone else other than them. He sounded almost frightened.

"Brother…? What do you mean?"

Loki stumbled back and panted, head feeling light and dizzy, he quickly glanced at where the entity had stood, but alas, it was no longer there.

"Reindeer games?"

Loki stood slowly from his hunched position and busied himself in straightening his garments in a finer fashion.

"Loki, what just happen –" Fury started, but Loki quickly cut him off.

"It is nothing director. I must apologize for… whatever just happened. I have not been of myself in the late. Let us resume." Loki stole another glance, but it wasn't there. _Calm yourself, Loki. It won't harm you…_

Fury, as confused and demanding for answers he was gave a curt nod and looked at the god dead in the eye. Tony whipped around to Fury, obviously unhappy that he did not pursue for answers.

"As I was saying, while you stay here in Asguard, you are to be home-prisoned in Stark's new avenger tower till further notice –"

Tony stared. "WHAT"

" – and you are not to cause any trouble or ELSE."

"Or else what?" Loki challenged, a smile gracing his features. Steve frowned. How was he smiling if only seconds ago, he was a step away from death? How can he change like that? Barton gave a small look at the taller man and gave a small nudge.

"God of lies, remember?" Steve gave a curt nod and continued to listen to the director.

"You can starve."

Loki frowned along with Thor. "But that sentence is far too cruel!" Thor boomed loudly. Loki rolled his eyes. Thor had already forgotten of the previous incident was acting normal once again. That seems to be the case to Loki. Thor, was, as a matter of fact, quite in the opposite. His mind was going in a furious storm of thunder and lightning, the waves roaring, threatening to spill. The sound was deafening in his ears and his mind went into turmoil. Oh how he desperately wanted to hug his brother and ask what was wrong, to be able to help his brother when I need, to know the truths behind Loki's strong upfront façade. But he knew this wasn't the right time. Loki was too far from affection for far too long. Thor inwardly grinned. For the next many days, he would stay in Midgard and help Loki welcome back sentiment, little by little. _Then perhaps_, Thor hoped, _Loki, my little brother, would come back. _Until then, he had to be strong. As answers he desperately pleaded for, the question of _can you do it? Can you truly save him?_ Remained and Thor clung onto it, for it kept him grounded to do things in baby steps.

"Is food all you think of you oaf?"

Thor, instead of getting offended, grinned widely, for his brother had finally spoken to him with small offence, like the good old days. Oh how he desperately wanted to go back in time.

"No, of course not, but a less harsher treatment would have to be preferred in my case."

"Like what?" Steve inquired curiously.

"Oh, perhaps a spar with the Bilgesnipe? Please pray tell you do know of these beasts! Scales? Massive antlers? Terrible they are, but worthy fun opponents to hunt and kill." Thor gave a wide smile. Steve frowned. Tony gave a laugh.

"Yeah Fury, that sounds great! Let's send him to kill some wild dangerous animals without his powers to protect him! I think it's great!" Fury glared at him. Thor realized his mistake and forgetfulness about Loki's stripped powers and lowered his head in shame, glancing at Loki a little. Loki fumed at him. How stupid was Thor? To forget that he was absolutely powerless, and to send him to fight a wild Bilgesnipe? Ridiculous!

"If you not have noticed Thor, but we are in Midgard. They do not have Bilgesnipe in here."

Thor mentally hit himself and straightened again. "My apologies friends! I believe the sentence given by Son of Fury is an excellent idea!" Thor declared, raising his hammer up above his head. He waited until everyone else had their hands raised up, which took quite some time, followed by the league of Steve.

"No wait, hold on, don't move, stop. I forgot to say this before, but, I repeat, WHAT?" Tony was close to shouting.

"Is there a problem Stark?" Fury turned to face the shorter man.

"Yeah, there's a huge problem. You want ME, a busy Genius playboy billionaire philanthropist," Steve rolled his eyes, "to babysit," Loki Scowled, "the evil god of lies and mischief, evil, chaotic, evil, crazy rock of ages?"

Loki gave no retort, as unfair the man of iron sounded to his ears.

"Yes. And I'm sure such Genius like you won't have a single problem handling it."

"Whoa, you challenging me Fury? Cause, you don't want to go there buddy, I'm gonna leave you hanging."

"Oh really? Because I don't think you can handle it."

"Oh, I'm going to make you eat your words."

Thor frowned. "What sort of magic is that son of Stark?"

Tony rolled his head to the confused god and gave him a look. "Really? Look, I'll explain it to you later okay?" He turned back at Fury. "I bet if I can look after rock of ages without any big trouble for more than 2 weeks, you're giving ALL of us a vacation on MY designated date, got it?"

Fury smirked. He knew he could get Stark to bend. "You're on."

* * *

**how do you guys like it? is it good?**

**im sorry if any of the characters didnt seem very... in character ^^;**

**doing my best, breaking my balls fellas XD**

**yes and you're probably wondering why on earth can loki just return to normal-ness after what he just experienced, well, stay tuned to the next chapter than!**

**once again, thankyou everyone who reviewed! you guys are darlings!**

**its gonna get creeeepyy!**

******R&R please! the more, the faster i write!**


	3. Change in habitat

**Sorry for the late update~!**

**A big shout out from me personally just how thankful I am for all of those that reviewed! I am truly thankful and grateful for those who supported this story and its author (me xd) and I appreciate how you go out of your way to write me a review! And to those that haven't but just simply followed or faved, I thank you too! (though I prefer reviews more, but meh, life isn't perfect) you may be a lil disappointed in this chapter, because slender isn't here. It's the calm part of the storm.**

**hey dead flame! dont walk away crying!**

**oh and 13th reviewer, thanks for the motivation! wooo friday the 13th~~~**

* * *

"_Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes."_

– _Hugh Prather_

**Ch3 – Change of habitat**

'_Wasn't_' happy wasn't the right word to describe what Loki felt. Nor was _angry, frustrated, furious, mad, irritated or annoyed_ the right words. Loki was far beyond that. The best to describe was… Picture this. A volcano. Eruption. Lava killing everyone. More eruptions, fumes, rocks falling here and there, killing thousands of mortals. This was exactly how Loki felt. He was the volcano, and the unfortunate humans living near the great rock were the avengers. Unfortunately, in his case, he was a dormant, perhaps even an extinct volcano, and the avengers were far from hurt. If looked ever so closely, microscopically, fumes were indeed coming out of Loki's ears and molten lava was spewing itself out of the god's eyes, melting whoever was looking into them. The 'whoever', for this part was Thor, staring deeply into his baby brother's eyes to find out what he was possibly thinking. The god was rather oblivious of the fire that tried to eat him away. They were in the jet Loki was previously in when captured by the avengers in Germany. The dark mechanic monster moved silently across the night sky as they headed towards the stark's tower, aka, the new avenger's tower. Loki shifted slightly, obviously uncomfortable with all the avengers practically staring at him, un-including the pilots which were black widow and Hawkeye. Iron man flew in front of the jet, guiding them to the tower. Loki inspected the black and green straps that dug into his garments, thick and angry, wanting to rip him to shreds like the avengers. He silently looked at his hands, making the metal cuffs clink next to each other and then fall silent again. He couldn't speak either. A metallic gag clung onto his flash, immobilizing him from speaking. The gag was definitely not ordinary, for Loki could not simply move his lips; his voice itself was stopped from the bottom of his throat. He couldn't emit a single sound even if he didn't want to. It was a terrible feeling when Thor brought the gag in within a brief case. Loki remembered, how Thor became silent once entering the room that Loki inhabited temporary, the 'hulk cage.' He remembered how sad and sentimental those blue eyes looked as he opened the case. He remembered very distinctly how his heart stopped in seeing the object, eyes widening, body edging away in shrill terror, for he knew clearly what it did. _"Brother… please… must you?"_ as pathetic he had sounded, he was desperate. He had saw Thor's eyes widen at being called a title he hadn't heard for so long. Tears had welled up in his eyes and Loki had thought it did the trick. But he was wrong. _"I'm so sorry brother… I'm so sorry…"_ Loki cringed as he remembered how the avengers looked at him, sneering, jeering, as he stepped out to the open, completely exposed. He remembered their talks behind his back laughing at him.

_He deserves it…_

_About time to shut that mouth_

_Haha! Did you see his face?_

_I hope it stays there forever_

A small sob stopped itself from the bottom of the god's throat. Oh how he remembered those words, so clear to his ears. Oh how those spiteful words full of hate, mock and venom, how it reminded him of his punishment, how it reminded him of the years before. The pain. The suffering. Being left out, being laughed at. Being… different. When Thor turned to speak to captain America, Loki raised his hands to touch the metal tight around his jaws. It was cool beneath his fingers, so different from what he experienced before. How the touch previous was much thicker, how tight it hung around his lips… How terrifying, bloody it was before.

Loki took the hands away as the noise of the jet came to a diminuendo. It soon came to a stop, a small bump shaking the crew a little. Loki took a small intake of breathe as he silently welcomed the cold night's breeze, air rushing in as the metallic door opened. It was pitch black outside, the night hanging gray curtains of threat and storm all around. Not even the moon could get through its anger. Loki glanced at Thor, whom eyebrows were in deep furrow, hands tight around Mjölnir. Loki wondered what he was thinking about before turning away, looking at the hands that took the tight straps off of him. Loki bit back a hiss as Rogers reached out a hand for support. _I don't need your help_ his eyes yelled as he stood shakily from the long ride, slowly getting out of the jet, following the lead of the captain. Iron man landed a floor above them, machines stripping off his armor as he walked.

"I'll be upstairs! Knock yourself out in coming up here!"

The two assassins hoped out of the jet, black widow striding quickly in front of the rest.

"I know the place around. Follow me."

Loki followed the quim, Rodgers and Thor, Banner and Barton following suit. A rumble was heard from above and the dark clouds became more menacing, moving rapidly about. Loki heard a few murmurs behind him, and then the night was suddenly clear, the stars shining brightly, the moon happy and peaceful, content with its spot. Loki briefly wondered what happened, what made the god of thunder from the emotions of calamity to a sense of calmness.

"Nice night aye?" a voice ran from upstairs.

_Nothing compared to Asguard _

Loki didn't bother turning around in wonder and awe of the great mansion as they entered, like Rodgers, Thor and Barton was doing. He'd been here before when his invasion failed. They went up the winding stairs to where Stark sat on a stool at the bar, helping himself with some brown liquid.

"Hey! How do'ya like my place? I know, I designed it myself."

"It is certainly… extravagant, son of Stark. Mind I ask what thine is drinking?"

"Eh? Some brandy, you want some?"

"No need man of iron. I am in no appetite for such beverage."

Stark shrugged. "Suit yourself. You Popsicle?"

Rodgers gave a small wave as he continued to marvel at the vast area. Stark gestured to the assassins. Black widow gave a quick shake of the head and headed to sit down while Barton gave a nod and a grin, joining Stark in sitting down. Stark looked at Bruce who quickly shook his head, hand coming up in protest as tony continued to poke the question. Loki stood at the edge of the small stairs, looking down at the spotless clean floor, where his body was imprinted in previously. As he stared at the floor, the muzzle a constant reminder of his failure, he saw a foot enter his line of vision on staring at the cold gray desolate ground. It was obvious it was Thor's and so Loki took no note in turning upwards. A hand touched at the small of his back and this time, he gave no resistance as it softly pushed him forward, guiding him to sit near a lit fireplace. He let his body slide into the cushion, eyes glazed as they looked at the dancing fire. It certainly reminded him of Asguard, the warmth of it so strong, so mighty, so glorious, so... bright. He let his eyes close. There were talks in the space around him, but he took no heed. He was so tired. Ever so tired. He let himself loose, and as the sounds drawled on, he fell asleep, a thought listing itself over and over again.

_I don't want to wake up again_

_I don't want to wake up again_

_I don't want to wake up again_

_I don't want to wake up again_

_I don't want to wake up again_

_**I DON'T WANT TO WAKE UP AGAIN**_

* * *

The avengers waited by the jet, waiting for Thor to come out with Loki. They were dressed in ordinary clothes, including Natasha, except Tony, who wore his Iron man suit for specific purposes, and Hawkeye, who had a bow around his chest and a few arrows. When eyes lay on the god, they were shocked. A muzzle was fixed upon the god's feature, cold and intimidating. The villain stared at the floor, barely looking up as Thor pushed ever so slightly at his back, guiding him to the jet. Tony couldn't take his eyes off the muzzle and the god. Steve watched in wonder, Bruce looking quite transfixed, Natasha silent but a frown gracing her placid face. Hawkeye stood next to her, eyes glaring and fists tight, shoulders up and stiff as the god walked by. _Serves him right._ The assassin thought bitterly, bow suddenly tight around his chest. There was nothing but silence as he walked by and into the waiting jet. _Silence… doesn't go too well with him, _Tony concluded. Steve followed suit after the two gods and helped Thor and Loki with the straps, Bruce helping himself. Natasha and Clint came in after, seating themselves at the front. As the jet's engine rumbled to life, Tony watched for a thumb to rise in approval. Seeing it rise, he let the iron mask come over his face, energy coursing through the armor as he flew in front of the now hovering black monster.

"Follow me ladies." His voice echoed out, powering full speed towards his pride and joy; the Avenger's tower.

Back in the jet, Thor stared at his brother, whose head hung low, black unkempt hair sticking everywhere. When he finally looked up, sapphire met emerald, and that was all. Thor stared, trying to look beyond the mask of pale white in front of him, for a brief moment he saw something. _Fire._ It went away and Thor resumed in his searching. Bruce and Steve looked on, a little uncomfortable at looking at the two brothers, one searching, eyes flashing back and forth, the other burning with fury. They watched as Loki looked down at the straps, then down at his hands. Thor continued to stare, the blue eyes looking sad and troubled. Steve gave him a small nudge, making the god of thunder turn around with a questioning look. Bruce, sitting opposite of the two blondes leaned forward to listen to their conversation.

"You okay? You seem very… worried. Is there something we should know?"

"You can tell us." Bruce offered a small smile.

Thor shook his head, returning the smile in favor. "It is nothing my friends. I was just… thinking about the past."

Thor's mind went back to the moment as he stared into his brother's eyes, a small thought repeating itself over and over. _Brother, do you forgive me? Do you still hate me?_ His feelings rambled, and as he had looked further into his brother's eyes, they screamed; _NO._

"This is… not the first time Loki has been… _humiliated_ this way." Thor continued. Steve gave a small re-assuring smile.

"Well, at least he's got you for comfort, right?" Steve laid a re-assuring hand on the god's shoulder.

Thor suddenly frowned and turned, ocean eyes swimming, swirling, full of sorrow and bitter sadness. Steve continued to pat his back in a hearty manner, exchanging glances and smiles with the doctor sitting opposite of him. Thor looked down at the floor, his body rigid, and a replica of his baby brother; hand tight around his mighty hammer. A voice rang out from the intercom.

"Hey how is it going in there? We're almost there! Doctor, I'm going to surprise you out of your socks once you see my labs! Man, isn't this exciting guys?" Tony's voice sounded like a child.

Bruce laughed, which sounded more like a giggle. "Don't surprise me to much Tony! You might scare the other guy!"

"I don't know about that Bruce! I think the other guys quite likes me!"

They went into a fit of chuckles and jokes, talking back to each other in the finest fashion they could possibly think of.

"Geez stop! You guys sound like some old married couple!" Hawkeye shouted, although not sounding annoyed, more of amused. Natasha smiled softly. Steve frowned.

"I don't understand the reference."

He expected Thor to say the same, but the god gave no response, hands clamped together in front of him, the Mjölnir squished between the big hands. He was still frowning, in deep thought. It seemed that he was remembering something, something that lay beneath all that muscle of glory and pride, under all that gold and strength, lay something dark and sad, a black glop sliding everywhere, leaving traces of darkness and slime. But it was not noticeable. Thor gave off nothing, staring at the ground like Loki was.

"Ah, it's exactly as it sounds captain!" Barton grinned.

"That is taboo! Men can't do that! So you guys are married?"

"Not anymore it isn't!"

Laughter ensued in the black jet except for the two gods. Bruce squeezed the area between his eyes, chuckling loudly. Romanoff let out a roar of laughter as Barton followed suit. Tony laughed, his suit shaking.

"Oh stop! You're gonna make me pee! And that's not that easy in this suit!"

This time, Steve joined into the laughter, the captain finally letting loose. It was as if they completely forgot about the captured enemy they had in their hold. The laughter came to an abrupt stop when Tony's voice came through the intercom the last time.

"We're here ladies."

The noise of the jet started to die away as they landed. Thor came back into reality as Steve and Bruce took stand, Steve giving a helping hand to Loki. The villain looked away and stood on his own shaky legs. Bruce watched in concern as he made way for the captain and the gods to pass. As they entered the night sky, Tony's voice echoed out from above.

"I'll be upstairs! Knock yourself out in coming up here!"

Natasha was suddenly in front of them. "I know the place around. Follow me."

As they walked the long platform, Bruce realized something was wrong. A loud rumble from the clouds erupted around them and Bruce looked up in concern, Steve following his gaze, Barton frowning and looking at the god of thunder. Steve nudged the god, who broke out of his thoughts.

"Hey… are you sure there's nothing wrong? What's going on?"

Thor lowered; quite unsure looked quizzically at the captain. Bruce gestured his eyebrows at the dark growling clouds above, making the god give out a choked laugh.

"I am sorry my friends I… I was merely thinking what our – my father would do for Loki's punishment."

Steve gave a small nod of understanding, although he didn't know why that was such a big concern at all. Life imprisonment, what else? Bruce gave a small, nod, thinking the same thing as the captain. Barton thought of either wise, snorting a little at hearing the god's confession. _Execution, that's what he deserves._ The clouds parted, revealing the starry night and its bright moon. Thor gave a small smile.

"Nice night aye?" Tony's voice resonated.

There were small chorus of approval around Thor. _Nothing compared to Asguard though…_

They entered the large building, the great furnishing and the interiors astounding the crew, even Thor, heir of Asguard. He marveled at the clustered areas and the unique design thrown here and there. It was so unlike Asguard, where it was more spacious and given the most details in the floors and walls, not crowded as it was here. Still, it gave a good sense of space, and Thor very much liked it.

He and tony exchanged a small talk, where he refused a beverage unknown to him… yet.

The rest shook their heads, except for Barton who gladly joined the man. Bruce shook his head as Tony offered him some.

"Tony… you know I shouldn't."

"Aw c'mon big guy! Just one?"

"No Tony…"

"Hey… guess what the scientist said to a sexy chick?"

Bruce sighed. "What?"

"I got my ION you!"

The cracked up in laughter as Barton stared in them in baffle.

"No but seriously."

"Okay, okay, your loss buddy."

"Hey guys, you shouldn't be drinking. We're on a mission here." Steve started. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Oh great, what's he gonna do? Try to kill us with his defeated-ness? Stop being a party pooper ice cube. Loosen up! We're far from shield! It's time to relax!"

As their conversation ensued, Thor stepped to Loki, who was standing at the edge of the small stairs, the area where he was found by them, defeated, broken.

As Loki continued to stare, Thor took the risk in pushing him softly towards the fire place, in hopes of warming the all too pale god. In Thor's amazement, the god did not struggle and shuffled to the white couch, sinking into its' warmth. Thor seated himself next to him, watching as the eyes tiredly drooped. Natasha seated opposite of them. She studied their expression, eyes shifting back and forth.

"He's tired." She stated.

"Yes… he's been through so much."

Loki's head rolled back, landing softly on Thor's shoulder. Thor's eyes widened in shock. He started to question, but the black widow cut him off.

"He's sleeping."

Thor stopped, and gave a small understanding nod, body turning from tense to relax. He slowly reached an arm out, and started stroking the rumpled hair. The uncared hair clung onto the elder's hands, afraid of something, crying, hands reaching out in desperation for help. Thor carefully took the muzzle off, Natasha staring as if Thor had gone out of his mind.

"It is alright my lady. He can cause no harm at rest. If it brings any assurance to you, he still has the handcuffs."

Natasha slowly gave a small nod of approval.

There was a small silence as the fire in the fireplace crackled, amused at the sight of the two brothers leaning against each other for comfort.

"I… I wish to heal my brother…" Thor started. Natasha motioned for him to continue, but Thor couldn't. He just couldn't. There was nothing else he could say.

"I'm sure you'll be able to help him… we'll be here too, don't forget that." Natasha softly said, although her mind said something else.

Thor gave a small nod, eyes fixated on the limp form against him.

"What… is to happen to him? Here in the Avenger's tower?"

Natasha frowned, for once not knowing the answer. She swiftly turned to where the rest of the avengers gathered, talking away about something irrelevant about their situation. "Guys, we've got to talk."

That was all it took to have Steve stop wrestling with Barton and Tony stop pestering Bruce with alcohol. Barton's smile came to an abrupt stop and a stormy look settled into his face, walking swiftly to her side and sitting down, a small space between the two spaces for comfort. Steve walked right behind Barton, sitting opposite of the fire place, the glass table in front of both him and the fire. Bruce followed suit slowly, inspecting the quiet form of a black weed of hair sticking out on the fellow avenger's shoulder. He came to a stop on a white seat that was shaped like a marshmallow. Tony raised his eyebrow, not quite amused to have his fun barter with Bruce interrupted. Bruce crossed his eyebrows and motioned for the playboy to sit. Carrying a beverage in one hand, Tony made his way to the crew and sat with a _harrumph_ on a vacant black armchair, leaning back to its soft touch. No one really questioned why on earth Loki didn't wear the muzzle anymore. They didn't dare anger the god, seeing how protective he was, stroking the villain's clammy hair. However, Tony wasn't that of sorts. He eyed the closed eye god and pointed a finger.

"So… Is he dead?"

Thor scowled, obviously unhappy with his comrade's statement. Tony brought his hands up a little.

"Hey no offence."

"My brother sleeps. Sleep had eluded my brother far too long, and it is rest that he needs in order to heal."

"I'm sorry, what on earth makes you think he didn't sleep well? For all you know, he was probably in some fairy land in sleeping, happily killing field agents like Coulson left and right!"

Steve twitched, remembering the bloody cards of agent Coulson. Tony regretted in his loud outburst. The two assassins that sat near lowered their heads, their faces darkening, skin turning cold at the touch. Thor's expression turned into a sad loop, his large hands shifting tighter into his baby brother's sleeping form. Steve looked to cry any second. Tony turned to Bruce for help, who shook his head and palmed his face.

"Shit… Ah, forget about what I said aye? Heck, what do I know right? Hey Steve, don't cry, I know you miss the fan-boy." Tony tried to joke.

Steve turned a scarlet red and opened his mouth to protest, but it quickly disappeared and he leaned forward on to his elbows, face drawn long and full of regret. "I do… I just wish that I could've signed those cards of his…"

Tony trembled. Things were going down-hill too fast for his liking. Likely, he had his science bro to count on.

"Hey Natasha, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

The avengers were very close to first name basis, getting more and friendlier with the great fight they endured through for the past few days. Tony was truly thankful for the close friendship Bruce had created with the red assassin. Natasha cleared her throat, sitting back straight as she looked into the eyes of her new 'friends'.

"Now, we all know, we have Loki in our custody," small cheers reverberated around her. She gave a curt nod.

"But I'm also aware that none of you aside _I_ have been informed about our new mission." Curious frowns cringed on each face of the avengers, especially Tony's whose face just screamed _what already?_ Barton frowned.

"How come I wasn't briefed about this?"

"Because the director knew you would 'flip' out." She took a small breathe as Steve gestured her to continue. "We are instructed… to look after Loki for two weeks until he is summoned to Asguard by the All father."

Before the last words were said, Barton pretty much exploded. Talk erupted around them.

"WHAT?! What the hell is fury thinking? He can't expect me to be around that villain without trying to kill him!"

"You will do no such thing!" Thor bellowed.

"Guys calm down, we have to talk this out!" Bruce calmed.

"What's there to calm about? WE all deserve a break from that pyscho –"

"YOU WILL NOT ADDRESS MY BROTHER AS SUCH!"

"Thor please…"

"Don't waste your breathe Bruce! These guys are gone noggins." Tony smirked. Steve glowered.

"And what, are you taking this entire situation as a joke? Is everything a joke to you?"

"Aw come one, not this again."

"Guys, we have to talk about this!" Natasha tried to soothe, but the debate was louder than her voice, everyone was roaring over each other, huge tidal waves crashing and exploding. As Thor continued to boom and defend his brother, the lithe form shifted in his hold.

"Nngh, brother…" The little god winced at the loud noises, his face trying to bury itself in the thunder god's great red cape. Thor gaped. _Did Loki just call me?_ He quickly, but tenderly, blocked the younger's ears and yelled at the top of his voice, causing lightning to crack outside.

"SILENCE!"

As his voice wished, everyone came to a silent stop, watching rather fearfully at the thunder god. He growled.

"My brother wishes to slumber." He spoke quietly, removing his hands. Loki gave a small sigh of satisfaction at the quiet peace and stopped fidgeting. Everyone watched in astonishment of the sigh coming from the god sleep, much different from the villain that tried to kill them in the past few days.

"Thor, why don't you take Loki to one of Tony's guest rooms won't you?" Natasha softly suggested. She turned to glare at the said man, who blinked.

"Huh, what? Oh yeah, uh, JARVIS?"

"_Yes sir?"_

The group startled at the voice, except the Romanoff. Bruce stared at the ceiling in awe and fascination. Tony sent him a quick grin.

"Yeah, escort Mr. Odinson to a guest room at the top won't ya?"

"_Of course sir. Mr. Odinson, if you could enter the elevator on your back far right, I will instruct you to your designated room."_

Thor, still staring around him in awe and superstition, slowly stood up, scooping his light brother in his arm effortlessly. He held him close like a new born child, afraid of it getting hurt in its new surroundings. He gave a small unsure nod, walking to the assumed elevator.

When the elevator doors closed and hummed, Tony once again let his fuse off.

"What the heck is wrong with you shield people?! I don't want to – "

"You made a deal with Fury, remember?" Steve reminded. Tony whipped around to give his _thanks for nothing you asshole_ look and turned back to the red headed woman. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short in doing so and slowly crossed his arms. "Can I negotiate?"

"I'm afraid not Stark."

"Wait, hold up. I know Tony _has_ to look after the damn villain, but we don't! right? We didn't bargain anything!"

"Hey! Clint, I'm doing the damn deal with Fury so we could all have a day off! You guys are all into this as much as I am!"

"And it's also our mission Clint."

Clint blinked. Natasha never called him by his first name unless they were alone. Clint stood still for a moment, and then abruptly sat back down, shoulders crossed across his chest, eyes looking off to the distance in a sulky fashion.

"FINE."

Natasha smiled softly. She turned to Steve who shrugged a little. "It's my duty to make sure America is safe, and if it means I have to look after a criminal master mind that I almost got killed by, then so be it."

When eyes fell to the doctor, he gave a small grin. "Well, being near the god that the other guy wanted to full out kill, this is probably a terrible idea, but a mission is a mission, and I feel much more at… home here." From looking down at his fingers, banner looked up to see his new profound friends giving him a reassuring smile. Tony especially was brightening light bulbs and fire crackers everywhere. He leaned down a little to give the man a good slap on the back. Banner continued; "To be honest, this is a little exciting, although that's not really good because of my heart rate, but I'm in!" he turned to look up at the standing play boy who looked down with an eyebrow raised and a smirk.

"Besides, I'm probably going to be stuck in this tower for a long time, being in the lab and all."

Tony slowly returned the wide grin back at Bruce and gave a small sigh when everyone else turned their attention to him.

"Dude, how can I say no? You guys make me look bad. Besides, a damn deal is a deal, and I'm damn right excited to blow that damn smirk off Fury's grin."

With that, all avengers agreed to the mission with reluctance and assurance, that nothing would go wrong. Nothing.

* * *

Thor looked about alarmingly as the small box he was in moved in a jerked fashion. It was like being in a Minnie bifrost, but much slower and Midgard – like. Small quiet music drifted in and out in the corners of the moving box and Thor moved his head about, trying to find the source of the dreadful music. He had heard better in Asguard during feasts. The elevator slowed and stopped, trembling slightly. The door opened to a long brightly lit corridor, doors lining up everywhere, left to right. Thor held his brother on as he whipped his body about, unsure which way to go, which door to enter.

"_To your left Mr. Odinson."_ The robotic voice rang out again. Thor stiffly followed its' instruction.

"_The door coming at your left is Loki's room, Mr. Odinson."_

Thor opened the said door, the lights automatically turning on. It was a well-furnished room, the opposite wall a complete set of a huge window facing out to the dark city, shrouded by a turquoise dark curtain. It was very spacious, a large closet and dressing drawers lining straight up the wall to the side. A king sized bed lay a few feet away from the door near the closets, away from the large window that acted as a wall. Laying Loki gingerly down on to the bed, the bed sheets a soft mix of beige and bark brown. The colors of the room weren't very extravagant. Many were dark brown, white and beige, the curtain an exception. The only few things that stood out gold was the lamps, the lights, the handles of drawers and closets, and the fireplace that stood off in the corner. Thor looked about, sitting on the bed after tucking his brother in. Loki yawned slightly, shifting under the duvet, finding a comfortable position. _This room… needs more… Asguard._ Thor thought, thinking of the golden engravings he had back at home. _And fur… and practice weapons… and a big shelf of books. Thank Eir that Stark left a fireplace. A great reminder of the fire back at home... OUR home…_ He turned back to his sleeping brother and once again started to stroke the jet black hair.

"Brother… please forgive me… but this is for your best… for your healing…"

"_Mr. Odinson? Sir and the rest of the avengers require your presence upstairs."_

Thor looked up the ceiling once again in deep frown. "Who are thou? Are you an elf? A shape shifter? Show thine self!"

"_Mr. Odinson, I am a computer generated AI. Sir shall explain it to you once you reach the top floor."_

* * *

**How do you guys like? Staying in character is hard ^^;**

**I'm sorry for all the disappointed fans! Please don't savagely kill me! slender man is sleepin right now XB**

**can someone give me a few fact about jarvis? yes i watched the iron man movies, but i forgot ==;**

**Yeah, I'm wondering if Thor is speaking too much Shakespearean. Dost thou mother know you weareth her drapes?**

**xD**

**Anyway, I won't be updating for a little while because of my school exams ==;**

**I already did my economics and math exams, and I'm pooped. Wish me luck fellows, aye? Please? It'll help a lot xD**

**I'll see you guys in about 2 weeks! Reviews will help a lot for motivation! Tell me what you think! Tell me how you feel! Tell me what you want to see! Woop woop!**

**R&R! 3**

**Lol – lots of love**


	4. the calm before the storm

**hey everyone! i have finished my mock exams and i would like to sincerely thank those who thanked me!(although i did terribly TT-TT)**

**i blame all you reviewers if i fail! its all because of your wonderful reviews that i had the urge to write this chapter during my exams! Dx**

**a great thanks to Orion, fawkestimelord for helping me with jarvis**

**and aLOT of thanks to Evilconcubine! the website is wonderful!**

**thankyou everyone that loved my prev chapter. now here's another!**

**can anyone guess what game loki is dreaming of?**

***edit*  
thor most likely cant read english right? only norse...**

***edit2***

**i completely forgot about loki's handcuffs**

* * *

_He is my most beloved friend and my bitterest rival, my confidant and my betrayer, my sustainer and my dependent, and scariest of all, my equal._

_- Greg Levov_

**Ch-4 The calm before the storm**

"Hey big guy! Like the new room for your little brother? Built in that especially for him." Tony waved as Thor escaped the metal jaws that was about to close on him as he walked slowly.

"It… is indeed pleasant, but I dread to tell that it lacks the taste of our home, in which I'm sure he will quite appreciate if likely."

Tony cocked his head to the side, obviously not really listening, swinging his drink in one hand gesturing the god to sit where he sat previously. The god followed and settled down, eyes wondering about his team mates. He was curious. It would be a lie if he said he wasn't scared. He was terrified. What words had they exchanged while he was gone? Why was Stark acting as if he drank four horns of ale? What do they plan to do with his little brother? Will they hurt him? Of course not. His friends wouldn't…But if they did… If they even thought about it, raised their voice, and grabbed anything that maybe harmful… _I will break their necks_. Large hands curled around at the hammer loose on his belt, veins popping out, and his muscles already tense. _No one will harm my brother. No one, not again, not again…_ Thankfully, Romanoff noticed his change in demeanor, and fearing his rage upon the team, spoke swiftly.

"How is he doing?"

Thor blinked. His grip loosened and his smile looped a little. "He is fine. He is sleeping fine, and…" he turned to Tony, remembering what he was about to say before, "Stark, I'm afraid the room is in need of refurnishing."

Tony drank his drink to the tip and shook at the empty glass. Out of habit, he looked at the god in an annoyed fashion which earned himself a nudge from the doctor still sitting on his marshmallow shaped seat.

"Okay, let me guess, he needs a full plasma TV, his own operating microwave for poppin' pop corns, lots of gold and sparkles, and how can we forget? A nice throne to sit on." He turned his back to the team and waved his empty glass in the air.

"Don't worry, just getting another drink –" he slurred a little, hands already mashed in between multiple of different beverages.

"Stark, I am afraid I do not know what all these… Ornaments of decoration and tangible matters you speak quite pugnacious of, but I assure, a throne is no longer the threat of question to keep in mind anymore within my brother, nor is gold and... sparkles. The room needs… Asguard –"

Before he could properly finish his sentence, Tony let out a roar of laughter, half choking at the brown liquid that slid down his throat. "Yeah! Bring Asguard here! Bring the whole party here! Fantastic idea!" he cheered his glass at the confused golden one, while his team mates looked disapproving at him.

"Stark… you've been drinking too much after we agreed in our new mission. You said you accept!" Steve said, obviously unhappy at the man's ridiculous behavior. Tony snorted and pointed a finger that held the glass at the captain, leaning forward on the counter to support his weight.

"Yeah, I accept, but that doesn't mean I _like_ it! It's preposterous! It's ridiculous! It's a laughable subject matter! See? Ahahahah!" he laughed, his head whipping back to stare at the ceiling. He really was drunk. Tony truly didn't want to look after the god of evil. He had already wrecked his mansion, his home, his friends, his suit, and now he was going to wreck and permanently ruin his life of living for two damn weeks. His agreement with Fury was out of adrenaline and the need of sport, but once that wore out, he knew it was a bad idea. He had already forgotten Loki was with them when he arrived back at the tower. All he could think of was having a drink and fun with his comrades once stripping his suit off. Loki didn't even touch his mind. _That's why I have pepper around to help me_, Tony thought rather bitterly, unhappy he was incapable of the easiest reminders that a worldwide villain was in his living room. It was when Romanoff mentioned his name and the new mission that he was slapped on the face by reality and realization. It was there that he realized he didn't want to do anything with Loki anymore, nothing with deals of looking after him, nothing. He wanted to wave a farewell handkerchief and watch the gods fly off to the horizon of rainbow bridges and floating houses. Yeah, he accepted, because a deal was a goddamn deal, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He was Tony stark for the love of god; he did whatever he wanted, when he felt like it. After he had asked Jarvis to bring Thor back upstairs, he had been drinking himself silly, the other watching with a tad of concern. His mood changed from bitter to happy, then back to down under and up heavens. He looked down to see Romanoff meters away from in the entrance of the pub. Her face was hard, and stark staggered a little, not really backing down to the glare.

"Stark, you're drunk." It wasn't a question. It was a pure statement of fact. Stark looked to the space behind her than focused when she took a step forward. He grinned.

"Yeah, I am, uh…" he placed his glass down and look up to see a wash of disappointed looks. "Um, yeah, uh, I'm going to bed losers, so, JARVIS!" he grimaced at his own loud voice. Thor looked about him in wonder once again as the British voice drifted in to the room.

"_Yes sir? It seems you've been drinking again up to the usual 7 glasses, sir. May I suggest you look for different ways to tranquilize your –"_

"Jarvis shut up and help these," he waved dismissively at his crew, "_people_ to their rooms. When I arrive to my room, have pepper online, okay?"

"_Done, sir." _

With that, the playboy was gone, leaving Thor slightly frustrated and the rest in a disappointed weight.

"He did not let me finish my request."

Bruce turned to Thor looking pitiful and sad. He stood and patted the god on the shoulder. He could feel the muscles tensing even under the scales of armor.

"Hey, why don't we all talk more tomorrow? Right now, we should all get some rest."

In cue, they all stood up, and the voice of the AI rang out.

"_Lady and gentlemen, if you will all follow me, your bed chambers await in the same level as Mr. Odinson's brother."_

Barton gave a small nod of approval. "So if he tries something, we'll be right there." He still had his bow and arrow strapped around his back. It breathed in and out like it was alive, its tightness reminding him of his anger, his objective, and his hatred towards one specific person. Thor looked to see Barton have his fists in a tight ball. He frowned at the previous remark. _ He wouldn't, would he?_ Thor wondered briefly when the elevator doors opened. The voice rang out again and as they walked down the corridor, he couldn't help but curiosity got over him.

"Lady Romanoff, I am sorry to intrude in any of your thoughts, but I must enquire, what and who is that voice guiding us to our bed chambers? Truly not a troll, for they are difficult to consult and handle." At hearing the question, the rest of the team huddles a little closer to the assassin, wanting to find out the answers themselves.

"It's not magic, is it? Because I've just had enough of that for a while." Steve asked softly, his eyes scaling every inch of the walls around him. The female chuckled.

"No, it's a computer generated artificial intelligence that Stark created. Its' name, J.A.R.V.I.S is short for 'just a rather very intelligent system', although my search showed that the stark family had a family butler named Jarvis also. Jarvis runs internal systems of Stark's home and is uploaded into his armors to help him in combat, maintenance, and navigation. He is able to infiltrate data like a virus will act but can also be over-run by others like –"

"Natasha, I'm going to have to stop you there. These guys look as confused as dodos." Bruce called out to the fact-mesmerized assassin. Natasha stopped, not realizing that Thor and Steve was staring at her quite absent minded and down to the core confused. Barton gave a hearty laugh and turned the door handle that led to his room.

"Computer generated artificial intelligence?" Steve echoed puzzlingly.

"What is a butler? Are they creatures? Was Jarvis a pet?" Thor questioned.

Romanoff sighed softly, opening a door next to Barton's room. Banner smiled. "No Thor, butlers are what we earth people call servants."

Thor nodded, that frowned again. "Then why do you not just call them servants? Why butlers? Do they question a lot and intrude to be called that?" the team laughed, Thor looking about quite confused. Banner gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"You'll understand one day Thor." The team gave nodding acknowledgments to each other, silently bidding each other a good night. Each door had the crew's name on the top, and as Steve entered his, banner and Thor wondered about looking for theirs.

"Jarvis? Where's my room?"

"_sir Banner, sir has located your room at the top with your own personal lab. If you will enter the elevator, I shall guide you there."_

Banner beamed at hearing this, also knowing this was also a safety precaution, and he was thankful for Tony's consideration. Thor smiled for him, as Banner waved good night to the god and into the moving box, the metallic mouth closing. Jarvis's voice rang out again.

"_Mr. Odinson, you room is on the other side of the hall, next to your brother's room." _ Thor smiled at this, taking a swift turn back to where he had laid his brother to rest. He flicked about and seeing upon a door next to Loki's, assuming his, entered.

* * *

A window. A bright, white window.

Loki shielded his eyes as the light poured into the house. He looked about, confused in his new surroundings. As he tried to adjust, he realized he was staring straight at a window, bright white light shining in. He turned, the sudden darkness startling him. He was a in a house, with no lights, but the lights coming from outside. Loki stood there for a while, unsure what to do.

"Thor?" he called out quietly. He cleared his voice. _Don't be afraid Loki._ "Hello?"

Eyes finally adjusting, to the dim surroundings, he moved around. He came across what seemed like a kitchen. He shifted through the drawers in curiosity, wondering what was in them. Each came out empty, until a loud clatter suddenly sounded. He jumped back, only to see a key that had fallen out of one of the drawers. He held it, the small object cold in his hand. He realized he wasn't wearing his usual garments anymore, but instead of something more soft, more comfortable than the tight clothing he wore previously. He realized there was a door next to the kitchen. As he grasped at the handle, it wouldn't open. He looked up, and recognized something was on the door. Angling to the left, using the light from the window, he saw a heart, a large heart seemingly painted on lovingly, even though a little sloppy. Loki reached up, touching the heart. Strangely, it was warm. As he trailed his finger around the shape, the feel under his fingers was soft like velvet. _Is this… how sentiment feels like?_ Loki scowled, moving away from the door. Wondering about, he shortly saw stairs, and climbed up, coming to meet more bright windows spilling white light in the gray and black room. _Where on Midgard are those arrogant mortals and my brother of an oaf? _He now faced a small corridor, 4 doors, and two on each side of the wall. There was something unique on each door. One had the number 1. Another next to it had 2. The door opposite of it had 3, and the last, facing opposite of 1 had a drawing, what seemed like a silhouette, was a head. They glowed in the white light from the window, the same as the heart had downstairs. Unlike the heart, the head was precise, symmetrical, and articulate. Loki slowly approached the doors. _Should I…? _Loki tried to open the door with the head, but it remained locked. The key didn't work either. He tried the one facing opposite of it, and sure enough, the number one door opened. He slowly stepped in, another set of cupboards lining up in the room. As he sifted through them, another key uncovered itself. Loki grinned. _Whatever game this is, avengers, I shall thwart you in this! _As he grabbed the in triumph, another image reflected itself against the large windows. He came closer and stared at it quizzically. This was what he saw; a shape what seemed like a person, a plus sign, and a key, equal sign, and an open door. Next to that picture was another, an X sign with two mortal shapes and one key. Loki stared. He had always been good with puzzles, always exceling them to the highest level. But this… somehow, he just couldn't put his hand to it. Why were Midgardian symbols so strange? Quietly tucking it away into his mind, he went out of the door. He grinned, key in the door with number 2 painted on it. He wondered what was in the door. He reached for the handle…

… Loki startled, the sounds of footsteps and murmured voices putting him into the edge. Quickly, he was on his hands, looking about and observing his surroundings. It was still dark, but there was sunlight peeking through gaps of the curtains. He could see the white carpet that surrounded the perimeter, the bark colored bed and the white sheets. He pushed at the pillow, the cushion sinking in, and slowly rising back up. It was very soft, his bed. He hadn't slept in a while. And he had to admit… it was nice to finally have a rest. He groaned, his joints stiff, his garments feeling tight and suffocating around him. He had a sudden urge to just rip them off. He didn't want to wear them anymore. It was suffocating, stifling, choking, asphyxiating. He curved to move, but a sharp _clink_ rang in his ears. It was the chains. He still wore the handcuffs. Hands slowly reached up to soft lips, a soft sigh escaping. _It's not there. _Unexpectedly, he wondered if he had a dream. Was it a dream? If so, what was it? Loki dismissed it, slowly attempting to get up and out of the bed. As much as he loved the rest, he knew he had to get up. They were waiting, waiting to taunt him, condemn him. He took a few quick breathes, and slowly reached for the handle…

"Brother! Are thou up?"

Loki quietly yelped, jumping back by Thor's sudden out-bust, landing back on his bed, hands awkwardly in front of his chest. Thor continued to beam. He could perfectly see his brother's face even in the dim light, and he could see that his brother was better in health than yesterday. There were still dark circled underneath the green eyes, and the cheek bones were jutting out and the skin clear and pale. However, he could tell, his brother had the sleep he needed. He could see it. He could feel it. Loki scowled at the beaming happy face.

"Yes, I am up." He quietly ignored the fact he called him brother. Thor smiled, then realizing Loki was struggling to get back up, he stepped in, opening the door wide, bright light coming into the dim room. "Show me thine chains!"

Raising an eyebrow, he raised his hands, the chains gray and tight, the _clinks_ menacing as ever. Loki's eyes widened as Thor grabbed his hammer. _He wouldn't strike me, would he?_ He squeezed his eyes shut as the Thor brought the mighty weapon down. A loud metallic sound screeched in his ears, than all weight on his hands disappeared. Small sounds of metal hitting each other and swaying sounded, and Loki opened his eyes in astonishment. Thor had broken the chains. Thor smiled as Loki stared at the severed chains in a confusing manner.

"Brother let us go! I am famished!" he gave a hand for the younger god to stand. Breaking out of his trance, Loki looked away and glowered, standing up by himself.

"I am very capable of standing up by myself, _Thor._"

Frowning a little sadly, Thor nodded and let the younger follow him out.

* * *

Thor had never slept better. He felt refreshed, calm, and most of all, re-assured. Re-assured, knowing that his brother was right next to him, separated by a single brick of wall. No longer were they realms apart, and most of all, he wasn't dead. Thor could feel tears coming up, but he fought them back down. _ He's alive, he's alive… He's alive…_

No longer wearing his armor, he felt comfortable in the plain Midgardian clothes, simple gray top and blue trousers. He fastened a belt, laying his hammer in between the space. He was excited to see his brother once again.

The rest of the crew didn't wake up as fast as Thor did. Steve was sleeping, having a few nightmares of the past late in the night. Tony was well hung over. Natasha was catching up on her beauty sleep, and Barton was actually already up, perched on the top of the tower, feet calmly dangling over the edge.

Tony slowly awoke to the sounds of a thunder-like voice booming from downstairs in the kitchen. He groaned, grabbing at his aching head. "Jarvis… tell the damn bloody god to shut up won't ya?"

"_Sir, I believe that would be highly inappropriate and you may come to deeply regret it as you always do –"_

"Maybe I should reset and reboot you so you don't have a personality" muttered the playboy. "Ugh never mind. Tell my schedule for today. Where's pepper?"

"_Miss Potts have vacated the premises at 6 am sharp this morning. She has installed me the schedule for you and the avengers sir."_

Tony frowned. "What's the time now?"

"_Sir, it is 27 minutes past 9. Your 8 –"_

"FUCK!"

" – _30 presentation at the board of NY energy firms have passed and is ending in 3 minutes."_

Tony groaned loudly. Today just wasn't his day. "Jarvis, prepare some breakfast for all the avengers, and our damn guest, got it? And have someone deliver a hangover drink. I'm not handling this one right."

"_All done sir. Shall I summon everyone to the kitchen?"_

"Yeah you go do that."

"_Sir, which kitchen? We have over 5."_

"… The one closest to me."

With that, the AI finally shut up. Stark got up, still dressed in what he wore last night. Washing up and having an awful long shower, he hobbled his way to Bruce's room, which was right opposite of his armory room.

"Doctor?" he knocked. Seeing no response, he clicked the six digits in and opened the hard metallic door. "Doctor, it's time to get up."

Banner continued to sleep soundlessly, body slouched over a large white desk, paper sprawled everywhere, stained with notes and scribbles. His glasses were crooked, his hair messy and unkempt. Dark circles graced his eyes, bags hanging. Tony smiled, snorting a little.

"Bruce, you should really be taking care of. Are you not a doctor after all?"

With a _harrumph_, he hoisted the man up and onto his bed, just a few meters away. "Lucky you, you don't have to be at the chaos of breakfast."

Trip to the kitchen was short, and when he reached his destination, the genius desperately wished that he had taken the stairs. He groaned, _I'm not drunk enough to handle this._ Food was littered everywhere, banana peels and orange peels scattered around the clear white floor. Open packets of chips and biscuits lay carelessly on the granite shelves. Tony gaped, eyes slowly moving to the god calmly eating a mango with a knife. _Knife. _Loki wasn't wearing his handcuffs anymore. No, scratch that, he was wearing them; they were just severed off from each other, defeating the whole process and meaning of 'handcuffs'. Tony panicked. As he opened his mouth to yell at the top of his voice, a loud boom over ran him.

"Ah! Friend Stark! We are in need of you service!" Thor popped up from under the bench, seeming to have been crouching around the cupboards. He pointed a box at him. "Could tis be pop-tarts? This label states 'popcorn', but could thine be a different manner of 'pop-tarts'? Like thee cinnamons flavor and the…"

Tony squeezed the space between his eyes. _Control yourself Stark…_ he grimaced at the loud clatter Thor made, a quiet but loud _splat_ coming from Loki and his fruit peels. He had at least eaten 8 different typed of fruits. _My hangover is not helping._

"You… two… GET… OUT…"

Sensing anger in his voice, Thor abruptly stopped, afraid of the man of iron throwing rage towards Loki.

"Of course." He dropped everything and quickly made his way to the exit in which Tony leaned against. He gestured Loki to do the same and follow, but the god remained seated at the counter, chewing away at an apple. Tony scowled, massaging his throbbing temples.

"Hey, reindeer games, did you hear me?"

Loki barely glanced in his direction, throwing the finished apple aimlessly to the side, which landed right at the billionaire's feet. "You deaf?"

Loki took a mango and started to peel it with the knife he held before. He quite liked it, this Midgardian knife, though not perfect for throwing, it was perfect in its purpose to cut whatever its master wished without a single complaint.

"Man of Iron, you seem to be at loss of your brain, for it is clear from the day before today my hearing was never impaired. Perhaps if you did not always want to participate in your drowning of highly intoxicating mead, you would be able to function better. You speak as if thou are a child bombarding a tantrum for the affection of his father."

Something ticked inside of the billionaire as the god spoke his last sentence. The gears in his heart that he had left to deteriorate and rust started to move, the clock work ticking loudly, the spider webs he had used to cover it up were torn apart and thrown away. He roared, blindly running towards the calm god, rage being all but everything to him. Thor moved to grab at the enraged man, but saw he had no need. Something shot past the billionaire, slicing the very air itself. It made him stop in his tracks, the power overwhelming. A sudden sharp pain cut itself open on his right cheek, and he grabbed at the blood, staggering away from where he stood. He turned, and saw the small knife Loki had been using to cut the mango, embedded in the wall, 2 centimeters deep. He turned to see Loki in front of him, half eaten manga resting gently in his hands. The green eyes analyzed him, and finally a smile spread across the silent god.

"I may have lost my magic and immortality Stark, but never for a second think that I am as weak in the forms of a mortal as your mere self. Never, ever direct your anger to me, or you may very well regret it." With a graceful smile, he brushed past Thor, heading for the living room. Tony continued to stare into space until imploding. "That's it! That's it I've had enough!"

He turned to thunder god to continue in his ranting, but stopped. Thor looked at him with his large blue eyes, full of compassion, hand slowly reaching and resting on the billionaire's shoulder.

"My friend, I am sorry if he has wounded you, but know that, when he spoke those last words, he has opened up his heart too, and ended up cutting himself."

Tony, still holding his bleeding cheek, looked down, wondering just how much it _wounded_ the other. "…What happened? and why on earth is his handcuffs broken?" Thor frowned.

" Do not worry, for the handcuffs are still in use with it's power to conceal my brother's magic. Loki cannot move about freely with the dreaded metal stuck together...I do not believe it is my place to speak of such sensitive subject. It is Loki's decision, and his –"

"Okay, and yeah, his decision and his only, yadi da di da, I've heard enough of those crap. How about an equivalent exchange, okay? I give you my story, you give me his!"

"… Fair enough." And he took his hand away, waiting for the other to speak. Tony suddenly froze. He realized it wasn't as easy as he thought. He thought about telling a lie, but somehow, just like how he told the press he was iron man, he had to tell. Someone had to know at least one part of him.

"The last sentence he said… about my father, it's not so far from the truth. He would never spend time with me, always working on his new projects, never have a solid relationship with mum… mum always said he was just really busy, but I really wanted him to see me, to recognize me, to know that…. I'm his son. I did everything I could, build something out of nothing, build my first engine when I was eight, anything to impress that old man, but he didn't even look at my direction. I didn't even exist to him… but." Tony, having to look at the ground to spill his insides at the god looked up, a small smile gracing his features.

"Just about a year or so, I uncovered a video, of my old man, made especially for me. It showed that he knew of my existence, that he expected may great things from me, that he actually cared. He created for me a new matter that shaped this new 'heart'," he tapped at the glowing device on his chest, "he saved my life. He passed his research to me. I guess I lashed out because it reminded me of the pain."

Thor smiled, affectionately giving the shorter man a pat on the shoulder. "Your father must be proud of you Stark, from Valhalla, he is watching with heart swelled to the size of a giant!" Tony gave a small laugh.

"Okay than tough guy, what's Loki's story? His dad not watch him play magic tricks?"

The smiling stopped. Thor looked away, his eyes distant and sad, haunting even. Honestly, he didn't want to say it. He didn't want to tell all the things that Loki had been put in burden for many years, but someone had to understand Loki, not just him.

"My brother, before I knew of his true heritage, was seen very different. He was weaker, less muscular, and lacked the superiority that others held. At young age, he was discriminated on, and he had only me to protect him. Father, he would always treat me better. I do not think he knew he was doing this, but it hurt Loki very terribly. He would try to impress him with sword fights, but I would always win, and father would always praise me, scolding Loki for being so weak. When I took up the power of thunder and more training, father encouraged me and held congratulation banquets for every time I won a match. But when Loki took up magic and knife throwing, he was rebuked, told off for being so feminism. When his magic excelled when needed, everyone laughed and mocked him, saying 'thank goodness we have a lady amongst us!'" Thor's body shook in anger, fists crunching up.

"I never knew this. Loki would day by day get weary, and I did not see. I was so caught up in myself; I did not notice my brother dying away. He had always put up a façade, a mask, covering up his pain and putting up a brave sport, I thought nothing of it. It was when after he fell in to the abyss, Hemidall told me when I asked of him, father himself revealing it to me. Loki was treated inferior, a…. shadow…. Of mine…" Thor gritted his teeth. Tony said nothing. Thor wanted to tell the man before him about how his father, Odin, did nothing as Loki fell into the said abyss, tell him about how the love Loki held and wanted from Odin was so strong, he went to such extent to accomplish them... But something told the thunder god that it just wasn't the time.

"My brother… when he speaks to others to hurt them, he ends up poisoning himself that is what I believe. And he is unaware of that. While we stay in Midgard, I wish to heal him, to rid him of this toxin and bring back joy we once had in our adventures together."

Tony smiled. "Big guy, I'll make sure you do that." He understood now, why Loki was so bitter. Because he was treated that way, and it hurt that he was the only one getting that. So inflicted it on others, so they could feel it too, feel how much it pained him. He finally understood. Now, he wanted to help Thor in bringing this other Loki back. The Loki that didn't spit venom. The Loki that didn't try to kill. The Loki that could smile. The Loki that could laugh. The Loki that could have sentiment.

* * *

Loki's smile stayed on his lips as he made his way to the living room. He loved it, the sudden outburst of raw emotion and anger Stark showed him. The feeling unmasked from the cockiness, to make the man let go and suddenly fall, it was fantastic. He had made the man of iron, always said to show nothing but a 'poker face', was now skinned to his rage and love for his father. Loki briefly paused, wondering what his own words meant to him. But as quickly as it had come, he waved it off. His statement meant nothing to him. It was simple, he had no father. Loki grabbed at his chest, his heart suddenly heavy. Was Odin really not his father? After all the things the god had done for him? Was Laufey really not his father? He was the reason why he was even born. Loki gave a minute to think, his back slumped against the wall. He laughed, _did it matter? _No, it did not. _I don't need a father, I don't need a family. At the end, it is after all, just about you. I shape my own destiny, no one else._

Loki entered the living room, brightly lit with the risen sun and the busy city. The fire was dimly lit, dying away. He approached the large windows, chewing away at the mango. He watched the people bustle about, scurrying in every direction, little ants… easily crushed by a boot. He laughed at the thought. His own words coming back to haunt him, how ironic. He heard a small noise behind and he turned. Steve said nothing in seeing Loki with broken handcuffs, for Jarvis had already informed him from Stark, in case he 'freaked out'.

"Ah, Captain, what matters do you have with the living room? Wish to be by the dying fire to warm up and melt away your nightmares? It is after all, ever so cold in that bed."

Rodgers twitched, his shoulder rising a little in sad defense. He absolutely hated the cold, hated how he had the nightmares, hated that as he moved about in his dreams, he would come to the edge of the bed, and the emptiness beyond the point with more movement, the feeling of falling… it was enough to make him scream. What Loki said definitely hit the target, and the god knew, for Rodgers took a step back to compose himself, than a step forward. Loki frowned.

"In 30 minutes, we're going to have a little team discussion –"

"But I am not part of team."

"– and you have to be there too, because we're discussing matters about you."

Loki smiled, although he felt more of a frown probing at his skin. He was worried. What would they do to him? It surely could not be as worse as Asguard, could it?

The thirty minutes went by quicker than the team anticipated. Their stomachs were full, and full of nerve, the need to bring back up soup and toast along with others were strong. Natasha kept her face straight, slightly worried about how everyone would react to the delicate subject. Tony was all smiles, the hangover drink doing its great job. Barton had planned to bring with him his bow and arrow, but Natasha had shaken her head, and so he didn't. Bruce walked with them, his hair tidy, and a shower that helped of course. Thor stood right behind the captain that led them to the living room, where Loki proceeded to read a magazine. He barely glanced up as everyone took their place in sitting around him. He felt weight next to him, the cushion sinking in as he whipped his eyes to the right. Thor smiled. Loki growled. the rest of the team had been sped up to date about Loki's handcuffs by Steve, and although many questioned, they did not object. Barton was of course the exception, seething under his breathe.

"Okay, we're here to talk about what is to be done with Loki." Rodgers started. Loki scowled. He didn't like the way he talked of him, like he wasn't even there, like he wouldn't understand. He tossed the magazine back to where he found it and crossed his arms, his back straightening.

"Oh yes, what _is_ to be done with me captain? I am not an animal, you can't keep me in a cage and feed me once a day."

"I… what makes you think we'd treat you like that?" Steve asked, his eyes etched with worry and shock. Loki blinked, a sudden rush of memory coming in.

"_I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"_

"_You're going to pay for that boy."_

"_Please gentle Sif, it was only an accident!"_

"_There's no such thing as accidents. You know what sort of punishment the guilty get?"_

"… _what?"_

"_They're left in a filthy cage to starve to death."_

Loki closed his eyes, trying to wipe the memory out of existence. It was many years ago, he was arrogant that time, thinking that people could even spare him some mercy. Sif out of all that proved him how ruthless she could be, even at the age of 9, putting him in a pig cage for making her trip. He was left there for 2 days, hungry, even thinking about eating the slush of rubbish sitting in the corner of the muddy cage. Even the pigs laughed at him. He had cried, cried for help, for father, for mother, for his brother. He had called for help, and no one showed up. When they found him, it was to celebrate another of Thor's matches, and a pig was needed to be slaughtered. He remembered how happy and worried his mother was, how his brother was over filled with joy, hugging him, causing himself to get dirty. But he also remembered how Odin frowned, asking why he was gone missing only to live with the pigs. He eyed Sif already in front of the great all father, smiling at him. Loki had saw through the lies she must have made up and seethed.

"_father, it was Sif! She put me in the cage –"_

"_Enough Loki! I've had enough of your tricks! Gentle Sif had told me of your wrongs; how you defied her warn in going inside pig sheds to cause mischief. She had warned you about the traps some cages held, and you had ended up in one of them due to your actions. You should be ashamed. Now go and get cleaned, you too Thor."_

Loki turned to Thor who was busy speaking about what was to come to Loki. Loki remembered, how when they were out of earshot, he whispered to him; "_That Sif is a liar."_

"_How did you…?"_

"_Loki, remember the times you tried to tell me how you could tell when people were lying? Well, I listened!"_

Loki remembered how happy he was, how his heart blossomed ten folds, and he hugged his older brother, happy that there was one person out there that understood. In two years time, the incident was completely forgotten, leaving only Loki in believing himself insane for concocting up such a memory. Loki closed his eyes, remembering what Thor told him many years ago.

"_I'm sorry Loki; there is nothing I can do about it."_

"_It is fine brother, you are here with me and that's all it matters."_

_As they bathed together, the two brothers made a promise._

"_Loki, I promise, that from now on, I will always protect you!"_

"_Hah, I don't need protection! I'm a warrior!"_

"_Yes, yes you are, but I shall not protect you as a warrior, but as a brother."_

_With hands reached out, they shook to it._

Loki gave a small shake on his head and looked back at his brother. His eyes turned sad, his lips curved into a thin line.

_You promised._

That very moment, Thor turned to face his brother, and the blue eyes screamed.

_I'm sorry._

* * *

**How'd you guys like it?**_  
_

**the storm is coming soon!**

**i think its going to be the next chapter. this chapter was actually supposed to be about loki enjoying himself in this new environment, but there's just too much to write about =-=**

**there's a lot of symbolism in this chapter, for those who get it right, you get a cyborg hug!**

**remember dears, there is no slashy between the brothers xD**

**and yes, the dream is from the game 'which' by Mikeinel. check the game out and you'll understand the upcoming dreams of loki!**

**tony is hard to write about. everyone is hard to write about**

**please review! it urges me on! and im sorry for any mistakes!**

**R&R! love you all!**


	5. Curiosity killed the

_**Hi everyone~!**_

**thank you to everyone that reviewed my prev chapter and all my other chapters and if you havent - DO NOW :D**

**are you excited? i am! holiday starts! YESSSSSSSS  
but i gotta study for exams D:  
oh well, anyway i hope you all enjoy this chapter, and once again thank you for the reviewers, i dont know how to continue this story without you!**

**here comes freakiness!... near the end of the chapter!**

* * *

_The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof _

– _Richard Bach_

**Ch – 5 Curiosity killed the ….**

Thor, too deep in the discussion, never noticed his brother staring, thousands of memories going by his eyes, and he did not see. He had turned to see Loki staring in almost deep thought, the green eyes glistening. Was it tears? He couldn't tell. Loki had looked away, eyes far, looking beyond the glass of the tower and into the busy city. It was there concluded that Loki would be under 'house arrest', in which Thor learnt what it meant. Loki was unable to leave the towers, unable to enter any armory or laboratories. He was not allowed in the kitchen unless under supervision, not allowed near windows, or even hold objects for more than 5 minutes unless eating. His only freedom was his room, the toilets, and the living rooms. He wasn't even allowed to stay in the toilet for too long for the suspicion he may be plotting to escape. 30minutes was the maximum and that was that. Upon hearing his limitations, Loki was of course fuming.

After discussion, the two assassins left for another urgent mission at the shield's base. Steve occupied the gym below and Tony left with Bruce to the laboratories. This left Loki with Thor. Thor turned to Loki with a wide smile. Loki scowled, turning away. He had pushed his nostalgic memories away, another mask sliding over to his face. He was never going to show weakness to Thor or anyone. He had seen the outcome of that, and he wasn't going to make the same mistake again. He stood to get away from the golden god, but Thor immediately followed suit and trailed along. Loki kept himself from looking back, knowing he would be right behind him, but slowed down a few steps, resulting in the elder to painfully step on the younger's foot, roughly bumping into him. Loki yelped, whipping around to glare some more, Thor sheepishly looking down at him.

"What on dreadful Midgard do you think you're doing Thor?"

"I am keeping thine company of course! Hath dost thou not heard? In one of Barton's rules, we are to keep company of you throughout day but night! While the others are occupied, it is my sworn duty to watch you brother!"

Loki growled._ So this is what they thought up of_? His torture, to have his bro – Thor, his most hated enemy, to 'look after' him like some babbling child? _Nonsense! _

"Tell your _friends_ that I am fully capable of taking care of myself! I do not need to be looked after! I am not a child! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE I AM WEAK!"

Loki immediately clamped his mouth shut. He didn't mean to let it slip.

_Come on now, I'm sure you can carry that, can't you? Oh I forgot, you are weak!_

_You're Thor's brother? Impossible, look at you!_

_Why are thou so frail?_

_Why are you so weak Loki?_

The god cringed, his heart aching. _Forget about those memories. They mean nothing to you Loki._

"… Brother?"

Loki, trying to forget, decided that the best way to distract himself was to occupy his mind with his insolent bro – Thor and his company.

"… Never you mind Thor. Come, let us explore this disgusting Midgardian building of yours."

If Thor could, he would've right in that spot swooped his brother up and hugged him. He had never heard the word 'explore' come out of his brother's mouth for a very long time, but only in their youth. It was truly a rare sight. He bounded after his brother, never feeling better.

"Wait for me brother!"

Before the exploring began, they found fresh new clothes awaiting them in Loki's room. Thankful, though reluctant, Loki wore the Midgardian clothes. He wore a dark green plain shirt with black jeans, some briefs go with it too. Loki could feel his body relax in wearing them, the fabric loose and comfortable around his lithe frame. They entered many different rooms, Loki doing so in order to remember every lay out of the tower, Thor simply following along the ride. As they came to a toilet, Loki quizzically flitted about.

"What is that mechanism? It is awfully familiar." He spoke quietly, his voice lacking the usual poison.

"_That would be a tap, Mr. Odinson's brother."_

Loki startled, looking about him. "…What? Who's there?"

Thor grinned at his brother's reaction. "It is called Jarvis, brother. Do not worry, it is not a troll!"

Loki glowered. "Trolls don't exist here in Midgard you oaf. I do not need your intelligence!"

Thor frowned, wondering why Loki suddenly became so bitter.

"_If I may, what would you like to be called sir?"_

"Are you the highly adequate artificial intelligence Barton has filed me about? You are to call me Loki, nothing else."

"_Yes I believe so. If you say so Loki."_

Satisfied, the two gods continue in their research, Loki talking away to the AI.

"Tell me, are there any traps I should be aware of that Stark has installed for me?"

"Brother, Son of Stark would do no such thing! He –"

"_Yes, sir has made the handles of every door in the building fingerprint sensitive. After a certain time, if your fingerprints are to touch any door handles, you will be electrocuted to the extent of faint, depending on how long you hold for. The rest of the avenger's fingers has been installed in to the data as friendly, and so shall not be harmed. Sir is also able to turn the sensitivity any time he wants, and is able to track which door you enter and when."_

Loki mused over this, the fact not so new to him. However, Thor reacted quite differently to this.

"Why hath Thor not been informed of this?" he bellowed.

"_I'm afraid sir was too afraid to meet your wrath, but I am sure he would like to apologize for the treatment. It is for the sake of, as sir had worded it, 'safety precautions.'"_

Thor, still quite displeased, gave a small nod. It took about an hour, and after that Loki had become tired of walking up and down the tower. Usually, it would take him more than 6 stories of exploring to wear him out, but the body of his was not of a god. The two gods came back up with the use of the elevator, Loki staggering down to the level of a large sofa, the small of his back relaxing at the soft cushion. He gave out a soft sigh, eyelids closing. Thor sat at the foot of the large white sofa, Loki's feet sinking in a little at the large weight. Loki responded little when the god seated next to him, too tired to snap. He wasn't being weak, Loki reminded himself, _and I'm just resting. Even the strongest of titans needs a rest._

"Oh brother, are thou already tired?"

Loki snorted. "If thou hath not noticed, but this shell is of a mortal, not the likes of god."

Thor laughed, the noise booming, filling in the whole air itself. Loki let a small smile slip out. The laugh… today, for some reason, simply comforted him. He raised his hands to his belly, the metal around his wrists twinkling as he twined his fingers together. The two brothers stayed still just like that, one lying down, the other sitting up, body slightly slouched on the white couch. The silence wasn't awkward. It was quiet, peaceful even. Loki liked it.

Tony stared at the screen, a small smile blooming up. He whipped around to Bruce who was busy trying to find a vacuum for the new armor that could travel into space. As he swiped his hand around the tablet, Tony's face was suddenly all he could see as the said man popped up behind the glass.

"What is it Tony?"

"Oh nothing, just wondering, maybe we should take a break?"

"A break? But we've been working for only… what, 2 hours?"

"3 hours and 28 minutes and 34 seconds to be exact. Oh no change that to 35 seconds, no wait, 36, 37, 38…"

"Okay, okay, fine, let's go."

Tony gave a small pout at the doctor as they made their way out of the laboratory. "You walk as if I'm forcing you Bruce! I'm hurt! "

Bruce gave a dry laugh and brushed the remark off. Truth be told, he was happy Tony told him to stop. His mind was in jumbles, in knots and clots in trying to find a solution for the equation, and he really needed to cool off a little. Tony jumped in to the elevator, urging the doctor to walk faster. Bruce wasn't even listening properly as the playboy babbled on and on about something.

"… oh man Bruce you think it'll be funny?"

"Huh? What?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Were you even listening?"

Bruce slowly shook his head. "nope." The other sighed.

"I was saying, wouldn't it be hilarious to see reindeer games drunk?"

Bruce frowned. Out of all the ideas the man before him spouted, this was one of the craziest.

"… Um, I don't think that's such a good idea Tony."

"Aw come on, what's the worst that could happen?"

The two scientists got out of the elevator, and Bruce wouldn't help but let a wide smile break to his features. Loki was lying down, eyes closed, hands entwined on top of his belly, completely at rest. Thor sat on the same couch, Loki's feet a few inches away from him, looking content in staring at his brother at rest. Bruce could've stood there too, for quite a long time, content in seeing such a peaceful picture of the two brothers together, but Tony gave a small nudge, silently beckoning him to the kitchen. The two scientists silently thought to themselves, the new clothing on the god made Loki less menacing, and more harmless. The silence broke as soon as they were away from the picture perfect.

"Did I just see what I thought I saw?"

"Yes you did doctor, and I know what would make that scene even more beautiful than it is!" whipping about, he brought out 4 glasses, pouring in beverages of all kinds into them. Excitedly, he placed them on to a tray, slamming another bottle of tequila on to the tray. He gave a wide grin at the doctor, and Bruce knew that this idea wasn't that good.

"Wait, is this why you smiled so big upstairs? This is what you wanted all along? To see two drunk gods?"

"My god Bruce, who doesn't? I can be the first man, well you the second, to say, 'hey I saw two gods drunk in my tower!'"

As Bruce raised a finger to retort, he found himself curious too. Tony rose up and down his eyebrows. "Let's go and make some science doctor!"

Thor looked up to see what the small commotion, and saw stark bounding up in tip toes, Bruce walking behind with a grimacing smile. Thor looked quizzically at the tray that now rested upon the coffee table.

"What's this stark?"

"Drinks! Come one, dig in!"

With the approval, Thor grabbed the glass and dunked the drink down. It melted down into his throat, the liquid hot and sweet. He beamed, licking his lips. Reaching out, he nudged at his brother, who woke up in a startling fashion.

"Brother! Thou must try this! It is absolutely delicious and satisfying!"

Loki blinked, yawning a little. He saw the doctor seated at a nearby couch, the man of iron next to him, drinking away at some brown liquid. He looked down at the table in front of him, the same glass there left for him. He raised his eyebrows, looking up to see the doctor give an approving nod. Slowly, cautiously, he reached out, taking the small glass with his delicate hands. He sniffed; face twisting a little at the strong smell. Tony laughed at the reaction.

"What's the matter? Can't handle a little Midgardian drink?"

Loki hissed, eyes narrowed, grip tightening around the glass. Usually, he would never give into such futile attempt of encouraging him to drink the unknown beverage, but his arm moved before his brain. Before he knew it, his lips were at the brim of the drink, gulping down and slamming the empty glass onto the table. He had to admit, it was delicious, different to the ale in Asguard. It was powerful, but not too powerful. It was sweet, but not in a bitter way. It was hot, but it did not burn your throat. Loki… he liked it. He looked up to meet the eyes of the mortal, who looked like to jump out of his seat and explode. A smile consumed more than half of the man's face, Bruce simply staring in shock at the god, not really expecting such reaction. Thor laughed, arm thrusting forward with the glass.

"Good friends, another!"

Loki gave a curt nod, his arm also out with the glass. Tony laughed, pouring in some more. Thor looked at the iron man, and when their eyes met, Thor gave an appreciative nod, in which Tony returned with a smirk. _Thank you for doing this Stark. Thank you._

"_Sir, it seems Miss Romanoff and agent Barton is back from their mission. They are at the bottom level."_

"AHA! Send them up!"

In a short few minutes, the elevator doors opened. The two agents came out looking tired but not a single scratch was on them.

"You guys are back early." Bruce remarked, his body twisted around to look at them.

"Yeah, just some organization, trying to hack into some files in some bank. Nothing much. Damn, I'm pooped!" Barton loudly said, arms waving and walking long strides to the couch. He froze, Natasha coming up behind to follow the same reaction. Loki stopped his drinking, the glass risen halfway, mouth slightly open. He slowly lowered it back down, a small smile gracing his features.

"Good to see you two agents back, safe and sound."

Barton exploded. "WHAT THE FUCK WHY IS HE DRINKING WHAT IS HE DOING HERE I THOUGHT HE WAS UNDER HOUSE DAMN ARREST!"

Natasha laid a firm hand on the imploding comrade. "House arrest, not room arrest, remember?"

"Yeah but why the heck is he drinking than?!" his arm shot out to point accusingly at the god who sat there and took it, his face quite obvious un-amused at all this. Natasha turned to the playboy, who sat back at his armrest with a wide grin.

"Well, what can he possibly do? Out beat me in my drinking score? The only person who can do that is captain ice block downstairs."

As Barton began to argue once more, Tony stood up, leaning into whisper into both of the agent's ears.

"Didn't you ever wander how drunken gods looked? Aren't you curious?"

With that, the Hawkeye stopped, a small smile faint on his stone like expression. He came to sit on the sofa he sat on the previous night, looking intently at the bellowing god and the solemn one, who seemed uncomfortable in his gaze. Natasha came to sit beside him. Her look evident that she didn't approve of this, but was letting it go, curiosity getting the better of her. There was a small silence in the space around the seats. Thor stopped, looking carefully at the two agents in front of him while Loki tried his best to ignore them, continuing to quietly sip at his drink. Banner looked onward worriedly at the silent crowd, the two opposite groups staring at each other. He really wanted to break the tension, but it wasn't easier said than done. Finally, Barton had enough of it.

"Well than, where's my glass?"

With that, the tension was cut like a knife in one swift motion. Natasha let out a loose smile, Thor laughed, a large roar like the ocean beating against the rocks. Banner laughed nervously, giving an all knowing look at the agents. Loki gave a quiet relieved sigh, happy with the talk of commotion and normality around him. This was what he liked, no stares, no accuses, no indifferences. Just one group, although he would never admit, happily laughing away to a drink, driving all fears away. Tony smirked. "Coming right up!" he said, running back into the kitchen to get different sorts of fluids. The group stayed like that as Tony busied himself with what sort of drinks to bring. Thor started to talk about the adventures he and Loki had back in Asguard, and as much nostalgia it brought Loki, he couldn't help but laugh at the moments the others laughed. Perhaps it was the alcohol, perhaps it was change of heart, but at that moment, none of that matters. Right there, right now, he was happy, laughing away with Thor's friends, like they were one big family. He was happy, he was happy… and that was all it mattered. Bruce turned to see Steve enter, a tower around his neck, the outcome of a cool shower obvious.

"What's going on here?" he eyed the individuals, finally resting upon Loki, who was busy mocking Thor about his misfortune in the stories. He froze at the sight of the glass in his hands. He turned to see Tony walk in with another full tray of bottles, a frown creasing over in seeing such sight. Tony continued to smile.

"Hey popsicle! You came to join us?"

Steve scowled. "Stark, this isn't part of the mission. What if Loki…"

Tony smirked at the captain's pause. He leaned in; "He what? I'm sorry, I couldn't catch that."

"He could attack us!" he hissed, his voice lowered, not wanting the gods to hear him. Tony rolled his eyes, walking past the man and putting the drinks on to the table. "He's a good for nothing stark. He's a monster."

"Help yourselves! Loki, I recommend you to drink a shot of tequila with some ginger beer." Tony loudly said, trying to drown out the captain's voice. He gave a wink to the gods and gestured Bruce to help them out a little. He grabbed the captains' arm angrily and dragged him to the kitchen.

"Unhand me! What's gotten into you Stark? Don't tell me you like him!"

"Jarvis, turn on the sound proof systems now."

"_Done sir."_

There was a small humming, when it stopped Tony glared daggers and yelled.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? Right there you were being a complete asshole!"

"He's the enemy! I've faced enemies like him, and they're complete monsters, thinking nothing but themselves. They're born like that! They'll never change!"

Tony lost his composure. He grabbed Rodger's collar and glowered at the man.

"And who do you think you're talking to, big guy? I'm the merchant of death, I brought and waged war. I thought nothing but myself. But I changed. Because I can. So I guess you were born to be a super hero? No, you were genetically made, a science experiment. You weren't destined, it was damn lucky coincidence. Loki is the same. He's not some monster, an animal you can't talk bad to whenever you're in the same room. He has damn feelings okay, and it's probably more than you've got. He didn't want to be the bad guy. It was bad luck. Monsters aren't born, they're made."

Steve's eye's widened. As Tony dropped his grip, the captain took a few steps back, looking down at his own feet, guilt swallowing him. Tony stepped back, hands gripped tight in the sides, finally relaxing to straighten his rumpled clothing out. He forced a smile on the angry face of his.

"Now let's go and meet the crowd, aye? Jarvis, you can turn it off now."

"_Done sir. Your bottom left corner of the shirt is still creased, sir." _Tony quickly adjusted the crease in a straight line.

Not waiting for a response, he walked past the captain, opening the sliding door. A faint soft voice called out from behind made him stop.

"You still haven't answered my question. What's gotten into you?"

Tony smiled, cocking his head back. "They say that all lies are based on the truth. What do you make of that captain?"

* * *

In the corner of his eye, Loki saw the two avengers talk, one with a smile on his face and the other with a thin angry line. He ignored the either, secretly excited to drink more of the delighted drink in different sorts. He watched eagerly as the tray of drinks came closer, downing another 3rd cup of the brown liquid the doctor had poured for him. Thor laughed, flexing his arm out to Banner for another 7th glass.

"My good friend Bruce, why do you Midgardians hold such petty sized glasses for the drinks? The first time I came here to drink with a good friend Selvig, we downed a great worthy jar, large as thine head! He made his ancestors proud!"

Bruce chuckled, Loki snickering at the side. Barton gave a quiet laugh, Natasha smiling away as she waited for the glasses to come. The alcohol had wonderful affects. He could feel the liquid working his way through the body like he never felt before. It touched his nerves in funny ways, making him laugh at the smallest remarks Thor made. He couldn't help it. The liquid made him unravel the threads of his thoughts, and he knew that wasn't good. As much as he wanted to stop, he was on his 5th before Tony managed to settle the tray down on the coffee table. The drink was addictive. Thor bellowed and cheered in anticipation, Barton joining in with the cheers. Bruce laughed with Natasha, and Loki set loose a wide grin. He felt himself enjoying calmly for the first time in 2 years. It was, until he heard the captain speak.

"He's a good for nothing stark. He's a monster."

It was distant, quiet in the woops of laughter and alcohol, but Loki could hear it distinctively. He could hear it.

_Monster._

He stopped, his heart falling. When did it feel so heavy? His grip on the glass tightened, the glassy eyes looking afar.

"Help yourselves! Loki, I recommend you to drink a shot of tequila with some ginger beer."

Loki slowly looked up, eyes meeting the mortal's. Tony briefly stopped. The emerald eyes… he never saw them so sad as now. Loki heard a small growl come from the man before him before walking away, dragging the captain with him. The god quietly sipped his newly filled drink. His smile was long gone, and a dark expression replaced it all. Thor's voice and Banner's was muffled, the voices of the agents almost a whisper as he closed his eyes, the memories coursing through him.

"_When I become king, I'll slay them all."_

Loki's eyes shot open, head spinning, mouth slightly agape, body tense. He remembered. He remembered. Thor said he would... Thor continued to laugh, gulping another small glassful before reaching out to the doctor for more. Loki continued to stare. _Thor said that. He said that. He'd kill all the monsters. He'd slay them. Slay them all._

_And I'm the last one._

At last, Thor turned, wearing a happy drunk grin on his face. His eyes were jolly and content, the blue waves gentle in the warm sun. But that's not what Loki saw. They glared at him; poised to kill, daggers at hand, smile menacing. Loki's body edged away, the grip on his glass loose. He didn't hear it fall, he only stared, his body trembling in fear. Thor suddenly stopped. The smile was gone. He shifted, the glass no longer in hand. Loki continued to stare as the thunder god opened his mouth. He couldn't hear anything. Than it him like a bag of bricks.

"_mOnsTEr."_

His heart stopped. He willed himself to move, but found himself stumbling, his back bumping against the armrest of the couch. The lines on Thor's face stretched, growing out of the face, the dark drifts of shadows reaching for him. Eyes wide opened, his leg shot out on to the ground, a sharp pain shooting through his feet. He heard gasps, but they were ever so faint. It was almost laughter. They were laughing. They were laughing at his pain.

"_Look at you! Lackeyson you weakling!"_

"_Oh look a scratch? Going to cry home to mother?"_

"_Such little blood and you cry?"_

"_You weakling!"_

"_Weakling!"_

"_Lackeyson!"_

"_Lackeyson!"_

"_Weak!"_

"_wEaK."_

_lAcKeYsOn _

The voices grew distorted as he stepped away from Thor, the pain all a little lie hiding away in the corners of his mind. The room moved with him, shifting, spinning, breathing, alive. Was this the effect of the drink? Did they poison him? The now shadow infested god took a step forward, hand dripping of darkness reaching out to him, fingernails sharp covered in blue blood. Loki gave a choked cry, jumping away from what he used to call brother. What was happening? Why was Thor trying to get him? _Why was he trying to kill him?_

"But you can't… you promised… you promised…" the god whispered, hands drawn to his chest as he backed away from the darkness breathing in and out of his brother. Breathing for himself became a difficult task, vile probing at the back of his throat. Tears stung his eyes as he urged for the feel to go away.

"You promised… you promised… YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED TO PROTECT ME BROTHER!"

Loki didn't even have the time to blink when Thor was in front of him, the large black hands holding him, the claws digging into him. One hand grabbed his neck, and Loki feared he would choke him. Thor's face, it still looked beautiful, but that was in a demonic way. Black veins popped out at the corners of his face, snaking its way towards the center, the eyes jet black, revealing no light. The great mouth opened, leftovers of a tongue twisting out to him in tendrils. It touched his cheek leaving dry marks of decaying sentiment.

"bRother, wHaT'S tHE MaTtEr?"

The voice came out choked, filtered through malice and insidious. More dark figures, the left overs of Banner, Natasha, and Barton looming over him, crowding over.

"dOn'T mOvE." What else he said next came out in a muffled silence. Something touched his foot, grabbed it, and the pain shot through. His cry came muted when the black hands suddenly held him close. His face was stuck into the glob of darkness that covered his brother. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe. _It was trying to swallow him._

"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" he violently pushed the shadows away, his feet sticking out and kicking, jumping away, pain digging in deeper into his feet. He felt his body grow weaker as his vision started to fade, the dark bodies staring, unmoving awkwardly.

"What have you done to me? Have you gone… to the extent… of poison... ing… me…?"

The world came to a stop, the shadows that infested the people before moving towards him, leaving their hosts, and now into him. His knee buckled, his voice came out faint. The darkness coursed through his veins and onto his eyes, forcing the lids to close in a shade of grey. There were voices, voices, shouting, yelling.

The last thing Loki saw was his brother's body, reaching out.

Why couldn't he see his face?

* * *

Bruce watched happily, although a lie if not nervous to say the least, when Tony came to set the tray down on to the table. He quickly glanced at the team with people, chatting away, even Loki forgetting his resent and hatred, and Barton, who was laughing up a storm with Thor, drinking alcohol with Bruce's glass. It was… a spectacular sight to say the least. He smiled, not wanting to ever ruin such an enjoyable smile.

"He's a good for nothing stark. He's a monster."

Bruce's eyes widened in shock, slowly turning to the captain. How could he say that? He heard Stark speak to him, and when their eyes met, Bruce could tell he was furious. He glanced once again at the fallen god, hoping he hadn't heard, but he didn't hope enough. The trickster wore a sad face, a face that craved affection, a face, and the eyes, of an abandoned child. It was a dramatic change from before, a child, laughing amongst his friends, innocent, untainted. Barton realized a change in demeanor. As much as he hated the god, the alcohol he drank with Bruce's unused glass reduced him to a laughing stock, giggling away with Natasha patting his sides. He hated to admit, but he was nothing against alcohol. Really, he was useless against it. His hatred dimmed as he laughed away with the gods, Loki smiling away and giving off a few laughs off. The normal clothes on the god made him seem less hostile, less of a crazed deranged god trying to eliminate all man-kind. Than it all suddenly changed. Without warning, the god's face turned hard, sad even, and the grips on the small glass tight. Barton watched, although slightly induced with alcohol, focused on his target. Loki closed his eyes, and for a moment, there was nothing, just Thor laughing away at Bruce's research on Norse mythology and Natasha giving off her own giggles. Than the bright eyes snapped open, bewildered, full of… fear? Natasha must have realized something was wrong too, because she wasn't moving anymore. She gave a quick glance to the agent on her left before looking back at the god, who seemed to be intent on staring at the thunder god. A dangerous thought flashed through Barton's mind. _Is he going to kill Thor?_ He was already in a crouched position, ready to pounce if his assumption was correct. A soft but sturdy hand placed itself on top of the man's shoulder. He turned to Natasha who seemed more concerned than angry. Natasha was skilled for her practice in interrogation as an agent, for reading between the lines and reading people's emotions. Here, she could obviously see that Loki's staring, the stiff body, the hard face, wasn't for the intent to kill. It was of fear. But fear of what? Thor seemed to have noticed too, for his talk with Banner came to a halt, turning to face his brother with a wide slightly drunk grin. Natasha watched stunned at the smaller god's reaction to the kind blue eyes, body responding in a jerky motion, edging away from Thor. Barton watched as the glass that was in hand fall, the fragile object breaking in contact to the ground. Thor's smile disappeared, replaced with a confused frown, eyes glancing from the now broken glass to his brother, who stared at him with… fright? Thor pivoted, turning to face his brother fully.

"Brother?"

Loki reacted violently, body scrabbling back, bumping into the armrest. Thor frowned, wondering why Loki was acting this way. Bruce had never seen such terror in anyone's face. He watched in shock as Loki tried to get up, a leg coming to a stand on the glass shards.

"Brother!"

Bruce didn't even realize he was standing, his doctor instincts kicking in when he saw the first few drops flow out of the foot. The assassins gasped, Barton confused at the sudden actions. Loki continued to step away from Thor, face contorted in pain and horror as Thor tried to close the distance between them, a hand reaching out. Natasha stared in awe as Loki gave out a choked cry, jumping away from the approaching hand, staring as if it was a deadly snake. Why was he so afraid? The soft voice surprised the team.

"But you can't… you promised… you promised…"

It was faint, quieter than a whisper. Loki brought his hands to his chest, as if trying to protect himself, create a small barrier between him and the approaching god. The Adam's apple bobbed, and Bruce watched the unstable steps, clearly the alcohol causing the lack of direction.

"You promised… you promised… YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED TO PROTECT ME BROTHER!"

Everyone was on their feet at the loud scream. Thor's eyes widened, memories of the past, long forgotten, rushing in, hitting in a blow more painful than when the destroyer killed him in his mortal form. He rushed forward to his brother, holding him on the arm, the other hand reaching and holding his nape, a thumb gently stroking Loki's cheek. Thor's heart broke as he painfully watched his brother continue to stare at him with wide eyes in fright.

"Brother… what's the matter?"

He asked softly, trying to reason with the fear stricken god before him. Bruce realized the blood had now reached a diameter of 15 centimeters, even Thor stepping on the scarlet color. Seeing his chance, he walked to the stiff god, reaching for the injured foot. The two assassins approached with him, and soon everyone was crowded around Loki.

"Don't move. I'm going to treat your foot. If we leave it like this, you'll lose too much blood." He said as he tried to take on of the glass shards out.

Loki's face twisted in pain, and Thor had enough of it. He shoved his brother forward and embraced him like never before, his heart leaking, bleeding, pouring out from the past years, thinking, Loki was dead, and it was his entire fault. And it was his fault.

He had forgotten his promise.

"I'm so sorry brother, I'm so sorry… please, don't feel pain no more. You've suffered enough… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Thor whispered over and over, hand patting softly at the hair. Loki's hands clawed at Thor's fabric, trying to pull away, it came to a stop, and Thor thought everything was going to be alright, but he was wrong. Loki lashed out, pushing and jumping away, feet painfully landing back on to the floor with a _squelch_.

"DO NOT TOUCH ME!"

The team watched in worry, Thor's face knotted in sorrow, as Loki tried to regain his balance, eyes drooping, blood continuing to flow out of the wounded flesh. Loki's face paled by the second. They had never seen Loki so weary. Not like this.

"What have you done to me? Have you gone… to the extent… of poison... ing… me…?"

"Brother, we would never…!"

Thor briefly turned to the team who shook their heads. Thor turned around just in time to see the body give way, knees buckling, falling onto the ground… falling into the abyss. He lunged forward, his heart cracking.

"BROTHER!"

"Loki!"

Will he reach in time?

Loki's eyes closed as Thor grabbed him in his arms, closing him into his chest. The team crowded around, Bruce already working on the feet.

"He's lost too much blood. We've got to take him someplace else!"

"Where's Stark?" Barton barked, a little worried.

"YO, who called me?"

The jolly voice of the iron man rang out as he stepped in to the situation. The wide grin turned upside down at the sight of blood, bright brown eyes dimming, brows frowning, body already alert and moving forward.

"What happened?" there was a sense of urgency in his voice, body freezing in seeing the fallen god unconscious.

Steve stepped in, equally shocked in seeing such sight.

"Tony, Loki's lost a lot of blood!"

"Already on it Doc! Follow me!"

The crew quickly followed billionaire, entering the elevator.

"Jarvis, 6th floor RIGHT NOW."

"_Speed increased to 30%, sir."_

The elevator sped down, startling the team. Only the thunder god stood his ground, looking intently at Loki's face, paling by the minute. The eyes moved underneath the lids. He wondered what Loki was dreaming about.

"Brother… I promise… I promise… never again…"

_Never again shall I abandon you_

_Forgive me._

* * *

**how's you kids like it :D**_  
_

**well, not all of you guys are kids, but meh, you know~**

**sorry for any mistakes!**

**this chapter took a little while... maybe im lacking inspiration D:  
inspire me guys!**

**you guys know the drill! REVIEW AND FAV!**

**next chapter will be up in a few days... less than a week :D keep an eye on those alerts!**

**R&R!**


	6. The head

**hey there fellas~~~!  
**

**are ya'll excited~~~?**

**oh man im so damn tired i finished this story just now and its 1 20 am and sdfghjk im tired. im so damn tired. and to boot, i keep getting a feeling im being watched while i sleep. ffffffffffffffffffffffffffff fffffff**

**anyway, this chapter is long, and i hope it was worth staying up to finish it you guys!**

**ummm warning... kindaf some... character death... yeah... and this is also the last chapter so... well there's the epilogue... uummmm**

**not proof read perfectly, sorry, rushed for you guys.**

* * *

"Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no to-morrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace.

– Oscar Wilde

**Ch-6 The head**

"How dost my brother seem?"

Bruce wiped the blood off his hand, satisfied with the newly stitched and bandages foot, several broken shards of glass lying discarded on the metal work bench.

"He's fine Thor."

He eyed the god staring confusingly at the blood bag that dripped into his brother's arms. He reached an arm out, wanting to pull it out.

"Ah – you don't want to do that. Your brother's lost too much blood. He needs as much as he can. Kind of funny to see he's an A-type, but I guess that's only in his mortal form."

Thor didn't seem to listening too much. All he needed to know was that his brother was okay. He slowly reached out to grab the skeletal hand, eyes scrutinized once feeling the bones so easy in his hands, shocked at how he could easily crush it. In his seated position in the medical plane of the tower, he gently rubbed the white palm, drawing invisible pictures of the past, as if trying to pass the memories through the hand and into the brain itself. Bruce silently watched, and then suddenly felt as if he was intruding something special, something that shouldn't be seen by his mere mortal eyes. He shied away, in quick paces to the mechanic sliding doors.

"We'll be at the living room if you need us, Thor. If not, Jarvis will tell you, okay?"

He gained no reply, no response but a small timid nod from the god, concentrating in tracing the patterns of his brother's quiet palm, rubbing again and again, the same pattern enlisting itself without the god's help. Giving a soft sigh, the doctor went through, only to meet a handful of worried faces. Steve was confused, a tint of guilt showing. Natasha waiting for information, Barton as stony as ever, but perhaps leaking some of worry, and there was Tony. He had a look of a very sobered up person, man who hadn't had his addiction for far too long and was growing weary of it. Bruce broke through the gravely silence.

"He's fine, just lost a little too much blood. He'll be up by tomorrow noon."

A chorus of sighs and released air came out, tense shoulders falling, thin lips parting, eyelids closing. Tony seemed to be the most fervent to find out why the 'what' happened.

"Okay, from what I heard from spider here is that you guys witnessed a sudden melt down of rock of ages, and he got freaked out real bad from his bro. what I don't get here is why? What's the trigger? Every psychotic action has a link with something!"

"Actually… he started behaving like that… after hearing what captain said."

It was evident how furious Tony was, his half mocking and serious face twisting to a vicious angry snarl. He whipped around to Steve who looked down right guilty and upset with himself, edging a little away from the steaming man in front of him. The assassins eyed the captain in alert, wondering what on earth the super soldier said to trigger the god.

"What did he say? What did you say?"

Barton's voice almost came out as a whisper.

"I… I… I said…"

Steve found it suddenly hard to say whatever he did, the guilt swelling in his throat. Tony finished for him.

'''He's a good for nothing stark. He's a monster.'"

It was painful to hear it, even in Stark's own ears as he growled it out. Natasha seemed only a slightly shocked, while Barton's confusion and eager frown disappeared, his expression turning solemn, lacking the clear emotion the three men had before him.

"That's it? What, fallen god can't accept reality?"

Tony whipped around, the most vicious anger exploding in his face.

"You think you know everything Barton? Huh? You think you know the real damn story behind that mask of his? Do you even know how it feels –"

"Stark, calm yourself. It is no matters for son of Barton to know."

The group startled at the voice, turning to see the thunder god emerging from the silent mechanical doors.

"Kind doctor, I have come to ask of your permission to stay and slumber in the healing room until my brother is deemed fit enough to once again roam the tower."

Banner gave an approving nod. "Remember Thor, if Loki shows any signs of unrest, or anything unusual, you call us, okay? And don't forget to eat. I don't want you to be cooped in there the whole day. I know you care for your brother, but you've got to take care of yourself too, okay?"

Thor laughed, Tony's anger dimming little by little to give a small grin. "Once a doctor, always a doctor."

The group was dismissed, everyone still quite agitated from the earlier events that afternoon. Thor went back into the room, stroking the still hand, wondering why his brother reacted that way, guilt nagging him. Steve returned to the gym, hitting away all his shame into the punching bag, guilt biting at him. Tony returned to the labs with Bruce, the billionaire feeling guilty for almost telling a secret, the doctor feeling terrible for not being able to prevent the whole chaos. The two assassins who went back to their base felt guilt, for they were keeping a large secret from their leader, Nick Fury, who gave them a second chance in life. Every one of them felt guilt, but it was nothing, nothing to what consumed the god of lies, guilt of the past and present, eating away,

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

* * *

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**

… And twisted it, the door giving way. Bright light shone in, momentarily blinding the god as he stepped in to the room. Loki held his arm over his eyes, the light painful. It took a few seconds to adjust, the light slowly dimming, returning to its usual black and gray, white gracing its' features in its best way possible. Loki took his arm away, and what he saw caught him terribly off guard. He choked, stifling a scream, knees suddenly weak, stumbling, head light. Such sight would wrench anyone's heart out, and for Loki, it wrenched everything he held. He grasped at the door frame, palms already gone sweaty, knuckles whitening to the touch, veins ready to burst. His mouth had gone dry as he tried to speak, the words coming out weak and teary.

"Brother… Oh brother…."

Thor stood in the middle of the room, body facing the bright window. His clothes were in tatters, armor falling apart, skin tarred, skin showing bones, weak, and most of all… headless. There was a large gap on top of the god's shoulders, nothing but a stump protruding out of the shoulders, bleeding, ligaments sticking out in weird places. Loki's eyes lowered. There in the chest was a gaping hole, wide, bleeding, where the heart used to be. Loki could see the muscles stick out, reaching for what used to give them life, what gave them the meaning to move.

"No…. No…."

His voice came out in whines; his whole body aching as he slowly approached the unmoving figure. He had never his brother in such condition. Only in spars would he be left with a bloody nose or a dislocated limb, bruises covering his body. It would always be healed, but never had he seen Thor without a head…. Or a heart…

"No… no, no, no, no…."

Loki continued to chant, voice strained with tears as they sprung to his eyes, his arm hovering before him. Without warning, the body turned, causing Loki to jump back, heart ready to burst out. The arm slowly rose, pointing at the wall beside it. Loki slowly came to a conclusion, that the moving body was the trick of the witches. He had seen necromancy be performed before, and to move a dead body of Thor would be no feat. But… how could mere witches kill the almighty Thor? Loki knew this wasn't impossible. He himself had seen Thor die before in his god form, and what was happening before him was not so unmanageable after all. With caution and weary, he slowly closed the distance between him and the dead body.

"Oh Thor… what happened to you?"

He gently placed a hand on the god's chest, the mighty, yet weak body swaying slightly. Loki realized Thor's blood was not red, but white. He looked around. There were no colors, just black, white, and different shades of gray. He took his hands away, staring at them in horror. His hands were covered in white. _It was covered in Thor's blood._ He swallowed back his bile.

"Don't worry Thor… I myself will go to Niflheim and seek Hela out. Odin will of course be present. She will have no choice but to accept in bringing you back. I promise Thor, I promise."

Loki knew there was no point in moping over what happened. He had learnt it the hard way.

_It's not coming back Loki. Stop being a cry baby_

The dead body seemed intent in pointing at the blank wall; or so Loki thought was blank. As he stepped closer, just like the numbers outside the hall, symbols appeared in sight with the reflection of the white light. There was a symbol of the head on the door in the hallway and the heart downstairs, a line dividing the two pictures. Loki wondered what it meant. He saw movement beside him and whipped around. Thor no longer had his arm up, but now faced him. A little freaked out, Loki cautiously backed away, moving to the drawers in the corner of the room. He applauded himself in finding another key, grasping it tightly in his hands. There was another movement. Loki twisted, his heart jumping out of his mouth. Thor was once again in front of him. Body stiff, not even moving a little, Mjölnir in hand, loose, perhaps even forgotten. Loki slowly stood up, hands in front of his chest. Pushing in a motion to keep the god away.

"Brother, do not fret. Everything's going to be alright. We're going to get out. Soon. See? I have another key!"

Nervousness strained his voice as he stepped away, heading out into the corridor. He turned to check on the still body, and once again, he felt himself give a stifled scream, fright pulled his nerves, the body right behind him, body stiff as a mannequin.

"Stop! Stop, stop, Thor, stop!" he kept moving, heart beating rapidly as he moved. He turned again to see the body right behind him, the body moving in a photographic motion, in a blink of an eye.

Loki quickly shoved the key into its socket and twisted harshly, the number three door giving way in a noisy creak. He turned, and once again the body was behind him, towering over. His heart was a jackrabbit, ready to jump out of its' place any moment. He paced forward at the awaiting cupboards, almost ripping the hinges off. He spotted the last key, and in triumph, whipped around, only to see a bleeding chest right in front of him. Loki bit his tongue, his chest heaving, fright injecting needles into his limbs. He proceeded to shove past the god when static suddenly filled his vision, a scream of angry wires and broken machines screaming into his ears. Loki let out a cry of pain, knees buckling and hitting the hard floor. Hands squeezed tightly over the fragile ears, the noise intense, he couldn't even hear his own screaming. Suddenly, it was gone, and so was Thor's body. Loki blinked, slowly getting onto his feet. This was it. He could open one of the doors and go. Go home with Thor. Everything was going to be alright. Quietly, he approached the door with the head symbol. He could open the heart one later, if he could find another key. He opened the door with the head, a grain of excitement pebbling its' way to his nerves. What's in it? What behind the door? He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at seeing a bedroom, a single bed lying in the middle of the room. He gave a small sigh as he entered. _This is it?_ He casually flipped the covers of the duvet, expecting nothing. He was wrong. He gave a shrieked cry at the sight of Thor's bloody head, eyes wide open, mouth twisted in shock, blood dribbling out from the lips, hair messy and bloody. Another static filled his vision and Loki saw Thor walk through him, reaching for the head. The body roughly grabbed it by the knotted hair, twisting it on top of his neck, harshly pressing it down. There was a small _click_ of bones connecting. The gray eyes blinked, and the blood that covered the god turned black, starting from the head. Loki gasped as it turned to him, and Loki jumped out of the way as it proceeded to walk past the door, entering number 1 room in the process. Loki was relieved to see the head was back on, following the body, reassurance slowly settling into the pits of his stomach.

"Is that the door Thor?"

Thor gave no response as he continued to twist the knob of a door in the said room. The body raised its hammer, lightening crackling around it, and powerfully brought it down. As loud the noise was, it did nothing to the door.

"Thor… Stop!"

The body continued to hit away at the door, seeming to become frustrated by the minute. It eventually gave up, and turned, reading the symbols on the wall.

"Thor… do you understand what that means?"

Loki questioned, approaching the god with ease. He eyed the gaping hole on the chest, softly touching the shoulders.

"Thor… what about your heart? Don't you need it?"

The head did not respond, but instead shifted to the side to have a better look at the symbols. Loki read with him, trying to figure it out. One person, one key, the door opens. Not two people one key. Thor seemed to have understood too. Because the eyes were no longer reading, but thinking.

"So, two people cannot leave at the same time with one key?  
Loki thought nothing of it. There simply seemed to be no way out. All they could do was find the second key. The body slowly turned, as if understanding, and raised the Mjölnir. Loki backed away, looking into his brother's eyes. The gray pupils held intelligence, it held survival. _It held no love._

"Brother, whatever you're thinking off… please, there's got to be another way!"

The body gave no response, continuing to walk towards the god who now held absolute terror on his face. Loki turned, but the door wasn't there. _It wasn't there anymore._ He backed off in to the corner, hands in front of him, trying to reason with his lost brother.

"Brother, please… we can find another key! We can get out together!"

_Brother, please! Don't do this! Please… please…_

The body stood in front him, and Loki slid down the wall, cowering.

_I'm so sorry Loki. Forgive me._

The hammer swung down, and Loki could hear, could _feel_ his arm break. He screamed in agony, the hammer swinging again.

_The needle pierced through his flesh, Loki could feel every second of it as it moved in and out, in and out…_

His arms broke, bleeding helplessly. He couldn't move them anymore. There was nothing to protect his head. There was nothing to protect him. The hammer swung down once more…

…_and the thread touched his teeth, than his lips, than his teeth. Blood poured out, crying, crying for mercy._

His knees were broken, his legs twisted out of shape, blood pouring out of the sticking bone. He hiccupped, barely any strength to cry properly. He watched, helpless, as the hammer rose for the last time, his vision coming to a noisy black static. It fell on the side of his skull, an explosion, and Loki's head fell to the side, forcing the rest of the body to fall, blood dribbling out. He coughed quietly, the white blood flowing out. He could feel the part of his skull poking his brain, causing it to bleed. Loki briefly wondered how he looked. The body with the head stood, and Loki could hear a faint click of a door opening. Light poured into the dark room and Thor turned. Loki caught a glimpse of the head and the eyes.

"Thor…"

The eyes… were cold. They held nothing. _Nothing._ The body with the head walked towards the door, the light enveloping him, leaving Loki in the darkness, in the shadows... once again. That was the last thing he saw, before the black static took over.

* * *

Thor dreamed.

He dreamed that once again, he was in Asguard, fighting trolls and Bilgesnipes. It was the usual. But this time, it was different. As he fought, blood licking at his hammer, his arm coated with the scarlet, he heard a small noise. He turned about, nothing catching his eyes. There it was again. A whimper. It was like an animal, silently crying out for help. He walked slowly to the source, the sound close, yet so far. He soon found a cave, and in it was a snake, large, green, lethal, teeth out, jaws wide open, little noises coming out, so unlike the creature.

Thor for a while stood there, staring at the snake, unsure what to do. He looked at his own shadow cast upon the snake, blocking the vile creature from any sunlight. Time passed quickly around him as he pondered, the grass growing around him, the snake becoming wrinkly, grotesques, eyes coming into the soft shades of blue from green.

_It is in pain… it would be better for me to finish it off. It may come to harm others._

He kneeled down to the large snake, the skin growing grayer and grayer. The eyes seemed to widen as Thor raised his hammer, the weapon wavering for a moment. The snake suddenly moved, body shaking, the gray skin peeling off on its' face. It looked to strike. In a rush, the mighty Mjölnir swung down, crushing the middle of the snake. It howled, golden blood streaming out and showering the golden god with its color. The snake moved once again in a jerky motion that lashed forward, the gray skin peeling. Thor swung his hammer once again, crushing the snake somewhere near the 'neck'. It seemed to whimper, the wide blue eyes staring, crying for mercy. The bleeding body viciously twitched, the head moving towards Thor. In fear of the creature biting it, he crushed the snake again and again, the long body twisting in the most deformed ways. Finally he raised his right large hands for the last time, Mjölnir covered in gold, his whole body covered in glorious blood of the dull large serpent. As he swung, he realized, a second too late, that the snake was twitching the entire time for a reason. It was shedding. The gray skin was at the tip of the snake's skin, revealing a beautiful layer of bright green, patterns of childhood and love running across the body, splattered with golden blood. The green eyes shone brightly in sentiment. But it was too late. All too late. The hammer smashed the narrow skull, a scream resonating all around him. Thor slowly removed his hammer, and his hear stopped. In replacement of the snake was Loki, a large crack going through his forehead, green eyes dimming as his life dyed away. Thor in horror slowly looked at the rest of the body, the twisted limbs, and the ripped Midgardian clothes. Next to the broken legs was the shed skin, the armor Loki wore during the great battle with the Chitauri.

"_Thor…"_

Thor immediately grabbed the broken hands, blue eyes staring into the green. Loki let out a small gentle smile, blood dribbling from the sides. Thor watched in horror as all the gold turned dark red, his own body covered in the dark iron fluid. He turned back to his brother, and the gore that lay before him turned his stomach upside down.

"Brother… Brother I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry Loki! Forgive me!"

Tears poured out, slightly diluting the blood that stained the god's face. Loki lightly tugged in the clutches of his brother's hands. Thor looked up from his despair, to hear his brother's dying words. But the face was no longer in peace, it was contorted with fear. The mouth opened wide, and it screamed.

* * *

Tony awoke to a screaming of bloody Mary, his whole body jerking awake.

"OKAY I'M AWAKE ITS EFFECTIVE OKAY STOP WHERE'S THE ALARM."

Bruce woke in the same condition as Tony, wiping the drool that hung off him when sleeping on the lab table. He rubbed his eyes, breathing in and out slowly, trying to calm his alerted heart.

"Was… That a scream?"

"Yes it was a scream."

"It was a scream."

"Yeah"

"In our tower."

"It seems."

"Jarvis, could you please locate where the scream came from?"

"_It seems it is coming from the medical plane of the tower, doctor Banner."_

"From the medical department aye?"

"The medical department."

The two tired scientists stared at an open space for a while, suddenly their eyes widening, whipping to face each other in the most horrified expression.

"LOKI!"

Another loud petrifying scream chorused their theory. The whole team met with each other as they ran down the stairs, their hazy mind far away from using the elevator.

"What is going on?" Steve asked loudly.

"Do I look like I know anything right now?" Tony yelled back, face etched in worry. _Please don't have killed Thor. Please don't, please don't… please don't end up killing your brother._

Thor wrestled with the thrashing arms, his ears ringing in pain as his brother writhed underneath, eyes tightly closed and eyes wide open in a scream. He had never heard such sound coming from his brother. There was only a time, long ago, that he heard such screams. But it was only once. Only once.

"Brother! Wake up! Wake up!"

The swooshing of mechanical doors moving brought the god's attention, turning to see his friends standing in shock and confusion.

"Friends! I am in need of thine help!"

The team rushed forward to the white bed, briefly stopping to see the flailing arms and the absolute terror plastered all over the god's face, sweat glistening as Bruce turned the lights on, hurrying over to examine the restrained god. Veins popped out from Loki's exposed neck and arms, body trying to get free from the hands that pushed him down. He continued to scream, Steve's eyes shut tight, every each one of the team's ears ringing in pain.

"Oi doc! What the hell is wrong with him?" Barton yelled over the screams, even though Banner was right next to him. Bruce winced, trying to get a pulse from the volatile god.

"He's… unstable. I- I don't know! I think… I think he's having a nightmare."

"A nightmare? Don't your eyes move when that happens?"

Steve was right for as Bruce examined, the eyes underneath the eyelids weren't moving at all. He leaned in, opening on the eyes and shining a small torch onto it. The eye was unresponsive to the light, the pupils staying… big? Why were they big? They should be small, with all the lights around him. Loki continued to scream and thrash as Bruce checked, double checked both of the eyes.

"Well doc?!" Barton growled, struggling to keep one of the arms down.

"I don't know!"

Thor, on top of the thrashing god just had enough of it.

"BROTHER!"

He lunged at his brother, powerful arms pushing onto the heaving chest.

"WAKE UP!"

It must have worked a magic, for Loki suddenly stopped, arms and legs gone limp, mouth parting slightly. The team stared at the now catatonic god, head slowly turning to Thor.

"Dude… you killed him!" Barton yelled, although he had wished for only that towards the god of mischief previously. Seeing the lifeless form before him now… it wasn't a fantastic idea anymore. Thor stared in stun.

"No… I could have not, Loki is capable of such feat… why, we have been by a giant far more powerful than my push and –"

"Thor STOP!"

Thor stopped his wobbly gabbling and turned to Bruce, eyes wet, shrill in terror, he himself fearing the worst. Bruce was checking the pulse, and the silent shock that remained in his face brought the worst of thoughts among the team.

"Holy shit…" Barton muttered under his breathe, hands slowly letting go of the dead flesh. Steve staggered away burrowing his face into his hands.

"It's my entire fault… it's all my fault…" Natasha rushed to comfort him. Tony gaped; the peace of Loki's face never seemed to bring such displeasure to him now. _No… you can't die you bastard… I… I…_

"I still have a deal to finish!"

He rushed forward, checking the temperature of the dead body and the chest.

"Bruce, come over here."

The doctor rushed forward, doing a maintenance check, although the process slightly hard with Thor still on Loki, head down in anguish.

"Look, his chest bones are all right, nothing's broken. All Thor did was stop his heart. We can restart it!"

"But we don't have a defibrillator here!"

Tony grinned. "Yes we do." He whipped around to the sunken god.

"Thor, we can still save your brother –" Thor looked up, eyes bright, smile wide, "but I need you to listen and listen carefully. Use that hammer of yours and I want you to electrocute your brother – not as much to fry him, but enough to jolt that heart of his, you hear?"

Thor was immediately on his feet, towering over his brother on the hospital bed. It creaked at the sudden movement, threatening to topple over. He raised the mighty Mjölnir high above his head, sudden lightening crackling around the hammer, a mini cloud hovering over near the wide ceiling. Slowly, he pointed the hammer to the corpse, the hammer pulsating blue. The team watched as the thunder god's face scrunched in concentration. Thor had always used the power of lightning and thunder in the mightiest and brutal way, never in such small streaks, to revive one's life. Delicately the lightning flashed around the hammer, creating a small thread of blue towards the dead body. Veins popped out from the god's hand as he tried to concentrate. Tony bit his lip. Barton, impatient as he was, made the most crucial, terrible mistake.

"Hurry up! He's losing time!"

In surprise, Thor's concentration slipped, letting the small stream of lightning strike forward. The team yelled and jumped back, watching in horror as Loki's body trembled violently, and lightning coursing through his veins and into his heart. There was a small amount of silence before the god of mischief lunged forward gasping and shrieking, body curled inwards, hands slightly twisted. Loki gasped for air, the air cold around him, sweat damp against him, his shirt creased. He slowly looked up to see Thor towering over him, the light blinding him. He was holding the Mjölnir. In front of him. The team cheered in happiness at the sight of Loki's revival. Thor bellowed loudly, laughing a relief. But all Loki could hear was static

All he could hear was static

All he could hear was static

All he could hear was static

All he could hear was static

All he could hear was static

_All he could hear was static_

_All he could hear was static_

_All he could hear was static_

_All he could hear was static_

_All he could hear was static_

_All he could hear was static_

_All he could hear was static_

_**All he could hear was static**_

_**Static**_

* * *

After the revival, even though the avengers had rejoiced the return of their fallen enemy, things seemed to have gotten strange. When Thor had bent down to hug him, upon seeing the Mjölnir, the god reacted violently, pushing away and yelling, close to tears. He kept on muttering strange things;

"_We can find another key… another key…"_

"_There has to be another way"_

"_What about your heart? Your heart…"_

Thor seemed to be equally confused at Loki's pointless rabbling, and so the team thought nothing of it. The god did nothing as Bruce checked up on him, eyes fixated on a distant object. After a few questions and comforting words, although Loki reacted to none, the team went back to their bedrooms, tired and needing rest. Tony gave a quick look back at the god. Something brought him unrest. The guy just died… how can anything be okay after that? With that he left, telling the AI to keep him constantly alert in any unusual behavior and reminding him of his next meeting. Thor, seated next to the bed, brought the sheets back up to his brother's knees in Loki's hunched position.

"Brother… you must rest."

Loki sat there, unresponsive. Being as gentle as possible, Thor pushed his brother softly back down on to the mattress, the brother obliging and closing his eyes as the sheets went over his chest. Thor briefly wondered how Loki's visit to Hel went. To Niflheim.

* * *

The passing of the next 4 days were… peculiar. More than that, it was bizarre, unusual, _and abnormal. _Ever since Loki was revived, he had been acting isolated, refusing any contact with anyone, especially with Thor. Whenever he approached, he scurried away, fear etching over his face. His reactions to others were however less volatile. He would approach quietly; taking the food that waited for him on the kitchen bench, taking it whenever no one was looking. Bruce, being the doctor he was, always kept on eye on him to make sure he ate, once even forcing him to take a shower. After that time, he did so every day. Loki didn't react as violent as he had expected. Eyes still holding detest, he stripped himself and let the doctor bathe him, the hot water melting into his cold dry skin. He barely spoke after the incident. There was barely anyone to speak to after all. Tony was out the past 3 days, fixing some of his broken properties from the Chitauri attack and attending multiple meetings. The two assassins were constantly on different missions and briefings, coming back to rest and relax, taking little time to look after Loki. Steve cramped himself in his own personal gym down a few stories, though being the often one besides Bruce to visit Loki and watch over him. Loki often growled when he saw the men, feeling anger rise up, but somehow, it'd vanish quickly as it came, wondering about the large interiors of the tower, as if he had already forgotten he had already explored it a few days ago. Bruce started to get worried as he watched Loki wonder from the screen in his lab. Something was wrong. _Something was very wrong._ Loki was no longer spitting insults, being comfortable with his surroundings as he had before the incident. His reaction to things was as quick as before, but he seemed more blank, more tired, more… sad. It wasn't only him who was getting worried. Steve himself watched in weary to see Loki walk past him as if he was chasing a butterfly in a dream, than stopping, as if a big bad man had crushed the pretty bug in its great hands. He would watch as Loki would drape the interiors of the tower with his sorrow and silence, the very walls crying themselves, wallpaper curling up in defeat as the god walked past. The two assassins had seemed to realize something was at amiss whenever they came back, Natasha of course being the first. Barton had once barked out an insult, secretly in hopes to snap the god back to reality, but he would walk past him, eyes blank, arms swaying uselessly by his side.

Thor, being the brother, was absolutely devastated. He tried countless times to approach his brother, but every time, he received the same reaction as ever. Loki would yell, scream even, eyes full of fear and sorrow, cower away, arms held out to protect his head. Thor would watch in utter dismay as he tried to hold his beloved brother, but Loki rejecting him countless times, muttering obscenities. Thor's heart broke.

"Brother please… I come to thou with peace!"

But once again Loki would never respond directly to Thor.

"Brother please… whatever you're thinking…. Don't… please don't…"

"Loki, what on Midgard would I do?"

"Another key… another key…"

Than the eyes would turn hollow and Loki would run away, leaving Thor to his guilty thoughts of the past.

Tony, being too busy with other things, barely had time to see him for the past three days. But on the fourth, he saw the broken god, seated at the living room, eyes staring into nothing, back straight, lips tight, hair wild. Quietly, he reached out and ruffled the messy hair. It was soft, evident of Bruce's handiwork. He expected insults flying at to him like the first day with the kitchen, but he didn't. Loki instead smiled, a quiet smile, and closed his eyes, as if remembering a good memory from the past. It would last a couple of minutes in which Tony relished, but after that the god's face would cloud, eyes scrunched, fists balled up, trying to chase away the bad memories. As soon as the darkness came, Tony would shake him, shake him like Thor had shaken Loki before, until those emerald eyes snap up again, alert, weary, scared. It would relax a tad after seeing Tony.

"Stark…"

It was a mere whisper, justified with a small smile. The green eyes held amusement at the sight of Stark, remembering his previous encounter, at the man's raw emotion. Than the face would frown, hatred slowly building up in those eyes. He would push away, abruptly standing and walking away. Tony sure loved those moments in that one day, to make the god react, to make the god seem alive, for just a few moments. It was always a desolation when Loki would fade back into his dreamy world, eyes and feelings drawn back from the sun, the curtains thick and black, sadness staining every inch. It was as if Loki had not come back to them alive.

He had come back dead.

* * *

Loki watched helplessly as the static turned thicker and darker, eventually turning everything in sight black. But he realized his eyes, they were still open. Slowly, he willed his body to move, arms moving upward to meet the eyes in effort. He struggled, taking a step forward in the dark emptiness. _Where am I? Am I dead? Thor killed me – _

His heart lurched forward, the god falling to his knees, clutching his chest.

_He killed me he killed me he killed me he killed me_ _he killed me he killed me he killed me he killed me he killed me he killed me_

Loki didn't realize the tears were falling. He gripped at his face, his nails digging in.

_My brother killed me. He killed me._

_hE dOeSN't lOvE yOu_

Loki screamed, bending forward at the black ground. He screamed, his eyes closing tightly shut. He screamed, his heart breaking. Than he realized, that it wasn't a voice that spoke to him. It was words, painfully carved into him. Loki stopped, eyes snapping open. He slowly stood up, eyes red from crying.

"It's you… that dull creature! You did all this! It is at your fault!"

_oH? mY fAUlT, tHaT yOu tRiEd to kIlL yOuR bRoThEr? mY fAUlT yOu fElL fRoM tHe BifROsT? mY fAUlT yOu WeRE uNFaVAorEd bY yOuR fATheR? mY fAUlT yOu WeRE DiFfErEnT? mY fAUlT yOu WeRE bOrN aS A mOnStEr?_

Loki screamed in frustration and sorrow, the memories of neglect pounding itself into his brain. He screamed, thrashed about, trying to make the words go away, trying to make the images stop. Black threads, thick, full of thorns reached out, grabbing at his arms and legs.

"UNHAND ME YOU FIEND!"

He thrashed, trying to get the threads off, blood pouring out of him as they punctured him skin.

YoU cAn'T eScApE

Loki screamed in pain as the weight doubled, barely able to move. He screamed, screamed as if his whole life depended on it. Than it stopped. Something stabbed him in the chest. He looked down, to see a large hand on his chest. He slowly looked up, the hand connecting to the arm of Odin, the all father.

"Father… I could have done it…"

"No Loki."

The father gave a push, and Loki fell head first to the abyss. He landed on a pile of human carcass, the grey skins stretched over the bones. Loki slowly got up, his skin dry from the tears, throat sore. He could feel every ounce of pain inside him. He looked about. This was Niflheim. He slowly walked towards what seemed like a large gate made out of bones. Hel stood in front of the gate, the clear pale skin smiling.

"Loki… I thought I would never see you here. Why are thou not in Valhalla?"

"I… Am unworthy…"

"Pity, god of chaos and trickery, fighting in so many battles, yet never coming as the noble, never welcomed by any place. But…"

She gestured to the opening gate. "Loki, you are welcome here, to suffer, to relent, to pour your soul out and let me consume it."

Loki took a step forward, but found he could not do another. The air came heavy, thunder loud in their ears. Blue lightening swirled around him in a circle.

"No… No he is mine! His soul belongs to Niflheim!"

The lightening burned her hand as she reached out. The lightening came to a form of a serpent. With jaws open, it lunged forward, plunging itself into Loki's chest.

He awoke to a bright light, his back hunched back. There was a ringing in his ears.

_Just a dream… just a dream…_

He looked up, his heart stopping to see Thor stand over him, Mjölnir in hand.

_It's not a dream. Thor's going to kill me… the key… we need another…_

The thoughts raced through him faster than light.

0o0o0o

The next days went in a blur. Loki remembered bits and pieces, but all he could hear was a constant static in his ears. Sometimes it was loud, sometimes it was dim. It was the loudest near Thor. He remembered having a shower, the warm water hitting him. Whenever he was under the warm water, Bruce doing something to his hair as he lay there in the bathtub, the static was barely heard. When he walked amongst the corridors alone, the static was all he could hear, creating a maze before him, his thoughts not even existing. The people around him, he could barely see them. There was static all over their faces, he couldn't see who. He only recognized Bruce, for he was around him when under the warm water. He remembered running, running down the halls of the tower. It was his younger self, a wooden sword in hand, laughing, off to fight with Thor. Than at the end of the corridor, Odin would show up and take his sword away, crushing it, _crushing his dreams._

Loki sat there on the couch. He didn't know how many days had passed as he felt empty. He stared, the bright blue clouds eating away at his green eyes. Suddenly something touched his hair and shook it, messing the black strands. He could feel the fingers on his scalp, the large hands, playful, happy. Loki saw his brother, bending over his head, the golden strands hanging over like a curtain.

_Loki! What are thou doing sleeping here?_

_Ah Thor! I was waiting. I thought we could hunt some boars for tonight's feast!_

_Excellent idea Loki! I knew I could count on you to think of something fun rather than Volstagg and his eating competition!_

Loki smiled.

Loki frowned.

_You're not invited to the feast Loki_

_Why is my brother not?_

_He is not a warrior like us._

_He hath fought gallant battles!_

_He welds no weapons, but trickery and mischief of magic under his sleeves. He is unworthy._

_It's okay Thor, go on without me._

_But Loki, I cannot leave you behind like this…_

_Yes you can. It's okay, I'll be fine._

Loki's face darkened. A small quiet growl emitted from his throat.

_Oh look its lady Loki!_

_Not invited we assume? Of course not! This is men only!_

_Such petty and puny god you are, impossible to believe you are Thor's – _

The ground shook, the ones that insulted falling into the cracks. Loki smiled, but realized in terror that he too was falling. He fell… his eyes snapped open, the shaking stopping. He saw Tony's face and gave a small smile.

"Stark…"

_Stark… oh what an amusing man, such articulate stories that lies beneath this reserved man. How he drinks, how he wished for the affection of his father… father… Odin…._

Loki growled, the hatred gleaming from his eyes. He pushed the man away, stalking off, slowly turning to a a clumsy absent minded walk, the static returning louder than ever.

The static

When will it stop?

* * *

**READ**

_ahahahhahahhahahahah im just kiddin! no character death (only momentarily) _

_and no this is not the last chapter! there are like... 12 moe? alot moe! dont worreh!_

_anyway i hope you guys enjoyed! i did my best, looked up the most scariest true things that would freak you out (which is why i've suddenly become paranoid in sleeping... oh god im sweating why am i sweating?)_

_oh yeah please tell me what you think about this!_

_please review!_

_im so tired oh god..._

_R&R! ( i beg you_

_LOL - lots of love_


	7. The heart

**guys**_  
_

**i**

**am**

**so**

**SORRY!**

**im so so so so sorry! i have been busy and i quit my job and i dont know if my boss knows i texted that i quit and i am so damn scared he'll call 2mrw or not! ffffff**

**and i have my exams coming to boot! im sorry guys, really sorry for such a slow update!**

**i havent proof read properly and i have no editor and WHY DO EVERYONE HAVE EDITOR I WANT ONE!**

**and just a note to some reviewers out there, i dont mind criticism, as long as it tells me what i should work on. however, i dont not not NOT like those that just put me down. tell me how to improve, not just tell me that i suck at shakespeare or what not! come on! how am i supposed to be inspired when in my inbox there is one mean unhappy mushroom wanting to plague and mold my other good candy reviews?**

**come one guys!**

**welp anyway, i hope you guys enjoy this, i had to cut it short so you guys could read this sooner and not later!**

**so sorry for the wait guys!  
sorry for the rush also!**

*edit, the italics somehow disappeared, so i brought them back XD

* * *

_...And there you have it, another body on the floor surrounded by things that don't mean much to anyone except to the one who can't take any of them along. _

_― Mark Z. Danielewski, house of leaves_

**Ch7 – the heart**

By the fifth day, Stark knew he had just enough of it. He leaned into the intercom, pressing the button with more force than needed.

"Hey team! Yeah, stop whatever you're doing and listen, 'cause what I'm about to say is more important than any of you guys… yeah, we're going to have a little meeting today, evening, after dinner, 7pm sharp, which is in about 5 hours to be exact, got it?"

Natasha's voice interrupted Tony's rant; "I'm afraid that is impossible Stark. Barton and I have a mission that will have us come back tomorrow in the morning, and so we won't be there."

Stark gave an aggravated sigh as the captain joined into the talk, "I cannot come either Stark, Fury has asked of my assistance for this mission."

"And what would the Cyclops want from you? Beat the enemies with your heroism?"

"Actually –"

"We have to go now Stark. GOODBYE."

The intercom gave a small fuzz of sound before cutting off, leaving the billionaire quite lonely in his office. He had built the communicator especially for the avenger's tower connecting off to his phone, armor, and his own office at another building of the Stark's industries. He never really remained at the offices quite long, but when he was, it was to prepare speeches with his 'people' and to prepare before attending conferences and the papers. He sighed. He hated being cooped up in here. There was absolutely nothing to do but listen to old man talking about their wrinkled old farts and how they wanted to improve their companies by joining his. Of course they would add cheesy lines of "It would help the..." and go on for hours, leaving the young philanthropist bored out of his brains. He yawned, eyeing pepper as she came in through the massive wooden doors.

"AH~ Pepper! I'm so happy to see you! Here to pep me a kiss and hug?"

He stood to do so, but pepper shoved another bundle of paper at him, doubling the size he already had on his desk.

"This, is the papers you need to look over, sign, and remember for the conference you'll be having in about an hour."

"An hour? You give me all this to memorize in one hour? And where's my kiss?"

"Tony, it's only one page. The others are just signatures and your authorization from the military in asks of the suits."

"Ah, well, fuck them, they can't have my suits, they're me. Throw them all away!"

"Tony, you have to write to them about your answer, not just ignore them! You can't run away! Just stand up to them!"

Before he could retort, pepper leaned in, planting a deep kiss upon the forever talking man. He stopped, pressing himself on to the woman that he loved before him, letting his eyes flutter shut. The kiss stopped, pepper pushing the man away with a smile.

"I'll get it all done, don't you worry." Tony muttered

Tony grinned, watching his beloved walking off; cherishing the small back glances she warily gave. He sighed, sitting back down on to the comfortable black chair, sifting through the papers.

"Ah well, I guess I won't be going back to the tower as quickly as I hoped."

* * *

It was the same, for Loki. Day after day, he would wake up; live a life of black and white, his body weighing him down as he slouched through corridors and corridors, the static painting his vision. He would go back to bed at one point, he did not know when, and when he closed his eyes, to finally relax, to finally be at peace, his eyes would open again, and it would be morning once more. He would see nothing. He would hear nothing. He would say nothing. That was the routine, green eyes staring blankly at faces masked with angry black static. He felt as if he hadn't slept for days, couldn't tell if he was living a nightmare or the cursed reality. He couldn't tell. He didn't know. It didn't matter. The static was loud, louder than usual as he sat down in front of the great windows landscaping the city. It was sunny today, the sky blue, and blue as the ocean itself, clouds lining themselves along the golden globe. The city below was busy, people scurrying about, the buildings towering over. It was truly a magnificent sight. But Loki couldn't see that. The sun was white, like the full moon itself. The clouds that gently hovered were black angry scribbles a troubled child drew in his sleep. The sky was crimson red, smearing blood everywhere with distaste. The buildings looked to be arms, stretching, reaching out to the sun, hands pale white and torn, crying, finger tips brushing the blood red sky. Loki stared, the sight not so shocking to him. Nothing was shocking to him. He couldn't feel anything. For a brief moment he wondered why, why he felt no pain, no anger, no sadness nor confusion. It all died away, those emotions of his, as the static screamed, buzzed louder and louder in his ears, until Loki grabbed at his head on the sides, fingernails digging in.

"Shut up… shut up… be quiet…" he hissed, hoping his small prayer would be heard. It wasn't. Just as always. No matter how he hoped… nothing ever came true for him.

Loki quietly stood, hands still grappled to his temples. He stared at his feet covered in white socks, then proceeded to move away from the large windows, the sunlight chasing him away to further darkness. Loki glanced back, blinking when he realized there were colors… normal colors… golden colors. The static dimmed away as he gaped, the sunlight showing the true colors of gold of Asguard.

_"Loki?"_

He approached, eyes wide, tears threatening to pour out as his mother stood in the distance, standing atop of the stairs to the throne.

"Mother… Mother…" _is it really you?_

Frigga smiled, her eyes shining, her arms opening up for her son. Loki choked, his steps becoming faster until he was running.

"Mother… Mother!"

Loki smiled his heart singing. His mother… oh how he missed his mother… he missed her so much… Alas, to be Loki, is to have no hope, and something tripped the god before he could reach the stairs. He fell, his knees hitting the golden ground, arms out front to protect him, handcuffs clinking. He looked up to see who did it, growling at the sight.

"Sif…"

"_Hello, Lackeyson."_

Her words pierced through his ears, the static coming back.

"What do you think you're doing, _lady_ Sif? You should know better than to look your nose down upon a royal."

As Loki took to stand, something, someone pushed him. He fell back to the ground and turned, his heart stopping.

"Father…"

_"You're a stolen relic, locked away to be used."_

Loki grabbed at his chest, his heart breaking. "Father… Father please…"

_More people started to appear, crowding around him, looking down at him._

_"Silver tongue turned to lead?" Volstagg bellowed._

_"Oh would thou look at that, never have I the dashing Fandral seen such a pitiful sight."_

_"A royal?" Sif sneered, "Thou aren't nay royal. Look upon thine rags!"_

Loki looked down at his clothes, the Midgardian clothes staining the golden floor to shameful white of a carpet, the metal cuffs hurting his eyes. He heard laughter as he struggled to stand, his clothes stringing him down to ignominy. _He looked up at the jeering faces, their faces scrunched up in sneers_. Loki's eyes waddled around the ocean of faces, searching, searching, and searching for someone to help him.

"Please… Please…"

The static was booming, curling the very lids of his ear drums, the sound spilling over, wrapping him up in a lonely cocoon. _No one's coming… no one's going to save me…_ he looked back up as the crowd cleared, the dwarf holding a large needle.

"No… No…"

_Someone! Please! Save me!_

Loki whipped around at the sound of footsteps, his shoulders releasing the tension he held. He gave a sigh of relief as he watched his brother approach, the concern evident in those blue eyes, arm reaching out to protect him, just like he promised. The static became a hum. Loki smiled onwards as his brothers lips opened, knowing he would help him, rescue him, save him from his punishment. Because he promised… he promised.

_"You will not make a mockery of everything Loki." _

**_STATIC_**

Large arms grabbed his frail shoulder, holding him down. Loki could feel his knees buckle, Thor going down with him, the great arms never leaving him. Thor held on as Loki was brought down to his knees, eyes wide in shock, his own delicate arms slowly coming to grab at the large.

"Brother…? You… you wouldn't…"

He couldn't even hear his own voice.

Thor gave no response, but shook him, shook him wildly, hurting Loki's sides, hurting his head, hurting _him._

Loki couldn't tell if Thor pushed him, or if the dwarf beside him did. All he knew was the sound of rushing air and his back hitting harshly and his head thumping against the white carpet. Loki pushed, scratching at the large arms as he tried to get away, struggling, eyes widening as the needle came closer. He looked into the hard blue and begged.

"Brother please… Please…"

_"I'm not your brother. I never was."_

Loki froze, his mind unable to comprehend what was going on. His eyes whipped back to the needle, the dwarf smiling, happy, happy for the god of lie's silence.

"You promised…. You promised…!"

He screamed.

* * *

Thor watched warily as Loki walked about, trailing quietly behind, doing his best not to be seen. As much as Loki chased him away, it was all his fault and he had a promise to live up to. He was Thor, god almighty of thunder, and following someone else was not what he did. But this was not just someone else. It was his own brother, and he, never mind the boredom, continued to watch over his brother, making sure nothing bad would happen. Not anymore. Not when he was around. Thor watched as Loki came to sit down in front of the large window, near the place where he was found lying. And that was only a week ago. The sunlight coated the younger in beautiful gold, bringing a healthier light upon the dead cheek bones and the dark jet hair.

Thor resisted an urge to approach the still god. Oh how he longed to sit beside his brother once more, just as they had back in the outskirts of Asguard, hunting boars, fighting Bilgesnipe, exploring caves belonging to trolls. He missed them. He missed _him._ Thor came to a squat, eventually sitting down, leaning against the cold wall, watching his brother gaze out into the open.

He looked so lonely…

Thor closed his eyes, looking back on the days of regret, where he bit away at his own tongue, fists curled in bitter anger. He slumped against the wall, head and golden locks in hands, shaking in shame.

_"Leave my brother alone!"_

Thor's eyes snapped open, his head rising, looking back at the dark figure on the ground, bathed in gold.

_The laughter and sound of footsteps died away as Thor came to the younger god, kneeling down to meet the green eyes. The younger Asguardian looked away, tears stained on the porcelain white cheeks, dirt, scratches, and bruises evident on the delicate skin. Thor gently touched the crumpled shirt of the shoulder, the owner of it leaning away, not quite succeeding, seeing he was lying on the ground, arms covering his stomach. _

Thor approached, Loki on the ground, staring back as if someone else stood there.

_"Brother…"_

_The green eyes snapped back from looking at the dirt. They stared into the sky blue and cried._

_"WHERE WERE YOU?!"_

_"I…"_

_"WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I NEEDED YOU?!"_

_"Loki please… Lady Sif asked –"_

_"OF COURSE! I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!"_

_Loki winced, curling tighter into a ball, his stomach in pain from all the kicking. Thor watched warily, lunging forward to help. Loki hissed in anger as the arms enclosed around him, punching at them._

Loki looked about him, eyes scared, bewitched, searching.

_"DON'T TOUCH ME! YOU WERENT HERE! YOU WEREN'T THERE AND I SCREAMED AND CRIED AND I…" the little boy sobbed into the clean red shirt, his cuts stinging as the tears flowed down._

The green eyes locked onto him.

_"… You promised… you promised to protect me Thor… why…? Why…" _

_Thor hugged his brother, hugged him as if there was no tomorrow._

_"I promise Loki… anyone that harms you will pay… I cannot make the time reverse… I am in regret Loki, know that, but I swear Loki, I make oath; I shall protect you. And if harm is to come when Thor is not present, you can count, Loki that they will pay I promise."_

_Loki beamed, wiping the tears._

Loki's eyes landed on him, the worried scared face loosening, smiling, happy to see him. Loki stood up, Thor reaching an arm out.

"Brother… what is the matter? Are thou fine?"

The younger's face turned stormy as the large hands grabbed onto the thin shoulders. Thor could feel the god tremble beneath his fingertips, his own eyes widening in shock as the legs buckled to fall. Thor held on in worry, coming down to a squat at the now kneeling god. Loki's arms slowly reached out, brushing the tanned flesh, cold chain digging in, giving the god goose bumps.

"Brother…? You… you wouldn't…"

"Loki? What do you mean Loki? Brother, what are you talking about?"

Thor shook the god in confusion, trying to understand. Suddenly, he felt a weight on him, something ominous, menacing, pushing him down. There was a sense of déjà vu as Thor could see Loki's eyes widen in terror, sharply closing in pain in contact of the hard ground. They shot back up, the pale hands wildly grabbing at his arms, pushing, scratching.

"Brother please… Please…"

_Please don't Thor… please…_

Thor closed at the memory, trying to hide it away. He looked to Loki, the green eyes darting from him to another figure that wasn't there. Thor turned, already seeing the dwarf with his needle. He wanted to shoo him away, tell him no, but it wasn't part of the script. It wasn't his call. He couldn't stop time. He couldn't go back. He looked back to see Loki wearing his Asguardian clothes from long before, staring back at him in terror.

"You promised…. You promised…!"

_Brother, please! Don't do this! Please… please…_

Thor gasped, tears filling up to the brim. His hear broke into a thousand pieces, the tears landing somewhere, getting soaked by the white carpet. He found himself unable to let go, his large hands tight around the slender wrists. Thor watched as the needle came closer. He still had time… he should stop it… he should….

But he couldn't.

It wasn't his call.

"I'm so sorry Loki. Forgive me."

The words came out of his mouth against his will, as if someone had ransacked through his memories and played the dreaded tape. Loki screamed. It was soon silenced by muffles. Thor blinked, his vision getting fuzzy with black and white lines. Static filled his vision and he closed his eyes, trying to shake it away. Loki continued to writhe underneath him, the brilliant emerald eyes wild, suddenly turning, rolling. Thor gasped.

_What was going on? What's wrong with Loki?_

He heard whispers, calling out to him. His limbs were stiff, the static getting louder, Loki moving less and less.

_What's going on? What's happening?_

_ Thor…_

_Thor…_

Thor….

Thor….!

"THOR!"

The static came to an abrupt stop as Bruce tried to push him off Loki, the mild brown eyes filled with fright and confusion.

"Banner! What are thou doing?"

"What am I doing? WHAT AM I DOING? YOU'RE KILLING LOKI!"

Thor stared, his body no longer moving. He looked down, only to see his hands, enclosed around Loki's jaw, covering his mouth and nose. Not a single sound left him, the eyes already closed, hands softly loosening around Thor's arms. Thor didn't even realize… he didn't know… He dropped his grip, letting Bruce swipe him away. He watched in mute silence as Bruce shook the god, Loki's eyes flashing open in bewilderment, gasping for air, spluttering. Thor sighed in relief, but froze stiff when Loki finally turned to him, deity hands slowly reaching out to the pale lips, brushing the invisible thick strands.

_How could you?_

Bruce helped the god up, looking back scornfully at the older. He pushed at the small of Loki's back, guiding him away.

"I think… right now is a good time for a bath, Loki?"

The god was silent, hands still near his lips, hovering there, afraid to touch once more. He looked back at the god sitting down, the golden locks messy, blue eyes filled with such shame and remorse. Their eyes met. It was Thor this time who turned away first, the static that filled his ear dimming little by little.

However, it did not leave.

* * *

Banner never in his life have seen such chaos. Sure the Chitauri coming to invade earth was catastrophic, but it didn't stop him in his tracks like what he just saw. Thor, the loving brother, always trying to protect Loki, eyes holding the sincerest sentiment he had ever seen other than betty… suffocating… _killing_ his own little brother… it froze every nerve in his body. It took a few seconds to realize that what they were doing weren't mutual fun, and he ran towards them, crying out the god's name. When he came to side the gods, he could easily hear the muffled cries of the god, the green eyes darting from Thor to an unknown figure, than back again. Bruce yelled, but it seemed Thor couldn't hear him, nor could Loki. It was as if they were somewhere else, and all Bruce was looking at was their holograms, projectors, nothing but empty shells left out in display. Bruce's cries turned to yells, than to screams, pushing at the hard stoned god. He looked into Thor's eyes, and it was most peculiar. The blue irises were strange, as if he was looking at the ocean through a fuzzy screen. They were unfocused, pupils dilated… Almost insane. Bruce could see Loki's eyes suddenly flutter, white pupils showing, hands trembling for the last time.

"THOR!"

It was than the thunder god came to his sense, letting Bruce take Loki away. In the utter dreadful silence, Bruce could see a small connection between the gods, as if they were reading each other's minds. He quietly suggested a bath, for he had found that it calmed and brought security to the lost god. With that he guided him away, giving quick back glances at Thor, crumpled on the floor with shame. The image reminded him of one of his papers, scrunched up and chucked away into some dark corner, letting it be infested with shadows and lost thoughts.

Bruce let Loki sit in an empty silence as he filled the tub up, adding a few bubbles for the measure. He gestured the god to enter, and only with ever so slight reluctance, Loki stripped himself, the handcuffs time to time getting caught on the fabric, and got in, a quiet sigh escaping the closed mouth. Bruce immediately started to work away at the hair, tangling his calloused hands on the dark strands and shampoo. After a little while, he decided to ask, curiosity and worry getting the better of him.

"Loki… What happened?"

Bruce wondered, after the bath and dressing the god into new clothes, if he should have asked after all. Maybe than he wouldn't have seen such grotesque figure before him. He wondered if he regretted asking, for the bloody image, he knew would never leave him.

There had been a silence between them after he asked the question. Bruce briefly wondered if Loki would lash out at him. Than the god turned slowly to him, and when facing him, Bruce was struck with a disturbing image.

Loki's mouth was sawn shut.

There was blood everywhere, dribbling from the holes of the sawn parts, the thick material arranged in a sloppy fashion, haste maybe, but also enjoying every moment of sewing the mouth shut. The pale green eyes were filled with such anger, such dread, such sadness, such… betrayal. It was brief, the encounter, and it was gone. The image had flashed before his eyes in a manner of a flicked TV, and Loki stood behind it after it was gone, eyes hard and unforgiving, yet filled with such sorrow, mouth tightly closed together. Banner had jerked back when it flashed before his eyes, hands leaving the hair. It was after a good rest on the doctor's side, huffing and puffing from shock, that he came back to his senses. Loki stared at him, confused, and there Bruce wondered if it was actually intentional, the image, or not. Bruce shook his head, feeling a small headache.

"Come one, it's getting late."

With that they left the bathroom, turning the lights off, leaving the room dark. A figure stood there in the center of the room as Bruce closed the door. It watched as the crack of light through the door closed, slowly reaching out. The door closed, just before the white fingers could get through. It drew back, its head just touching the ceiling. It seemed amused, perhaps even questioning what just happened. It turned to the mirror, watching the lost god following Banner to the kitchen. It smiled, though it was not evident on the white face. It had a brilliant idea. It was fantastic. It was spontaneous.

iT wAs pErFeCt

* * *

Thor didn't even see the dark night looming over, the sun setting, painting the living room red. The shadows twisted under him, the night had no mercy. Time passed him quickly, his mind troubled, plagued with memories. There was noise around him, but he just couldn't register them.

Tony sighed in relief as he finally got out the elevator, immediately taking his tie off, dropping his suitcase on to an unknown ground. He yawned, stretching as he came to slump on the white couches.

"Jarvis, have that Asian shop or something bring us those… chop soy noodle crap here for dinner. And make sure it's less than 10 minutes! Last time I had to wait for more than 15!"

_"Yes sir."_

Tony gave a sigh, glancing at the clock hanging on a wall. 6:25pm. He groaned. He was famished. It was than he noticed the thunder god slouched in the distance, eyes fixed on the floor, his hands paralyzed to its' sides. Raising an eyebrow, Tony stood and made his way to the sitting god, crouching to look over the golden locks and into the blue eyes.

"Hey big guy! You okay? Are there not enough pop tarts in the pantry?"

For a moment, Thor gave no response, as if the billionaire was talking to a mannequin. It was at the second attempt Thor seemed to snap out of his thoughts and bolt up, shaking his head.

"Ah! Friend Stark! My apologies for the absent mindedness. What hath thou asked?"

Tony gave a relief of a laugh.

"Nothing big guy. Come one, you look like you had been sitting there for ages!"

Thor gave a ghost of a smile, slowly standing up, bones clicking, muscles tensing. He gave a small groan, rolling his shoulders, Tony watching with a wince.

"That… sounds painful."

"It is nothing trivial friend Stark. I… I must ask, what may be the time?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah its seven thirty pm about. You hungry?"

Thor bellowed a laugh and slapped his hand on the small of Tony's back.

"You have read my mind Stark! Come, we must feast!"

"Oof, ow, okay."

* * *

Bruce yawned, tiredly shaking sleep off his eyes, taking his glasses and slipping it into his pocket. He set the book he was reading aside, his eyes coming to a rest on the sleeping figure next to him, twitching time to time, mumbling obscenities, eyes darting from dream. He had been reading for hours, making sure Loki would be fine. When they had come out of the bathroom and in to Loki's chambers, Loki had frozen on the spot when he entered, eyes bewitched by something. As Bruce took a turn to leave, he felt shaky, but firm hands grasp his wrists. He had whipped around in alert, only to meet the god's shaken eyes, full of fright.

"Stay."

That was all he said, and the mouth came sawn shut once more. Bruce, reluctant, came to sit near the bed, letting the fallen prince move about, exploring the contents the room held. Time to time, he would stop, as if he heard something, head falling to the side to listen. Bruce heard nothing. After a little while, Loki would come to tire and sit at the bed, staring blankly at the dark curtain in front of him, than silently slip into bed. Bruce had gotten up, once more to leave, but just as before the prince's arm whipped out of the duvet and grabbed his arm. He didn't say anything, but Bruce knew. With a nod, he sat back down, giving a small reassuring smile as the bright green eyes slowly came to a close. Somewhere between the quite breathes of slumber and the tapping of the awake calloused fingers, Bruce stood to read some books at the book shelves in the corner of the room.

Bruce yawned, looking at the pile of books in front of him. He wondered why Tony had given Loki fables and fairy tales and folklores. Surely it wouldn't entertain a god from Asguard? As he pondered, Bruce glanced at his watch and cursed, massaging his temples. It was already seven twenty five pm, he had been reading for hours. He slowly stood up, groaning at the crack of bones and sighing. He steadily put the books away and made his way to the lamp that was on, turning it off. He opened the door, glancing back at Loki, his face lined by the only light source through the door, and slowly, he closed the door, until only utter darkness held the god to it-self.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

* * *

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Loki stepped back, the light blinding him, then realized he was staring at a window, white light pouring in. _white light._ Loki gave a quiet upset gasp, scrabbling away from the window, his heart pounding.

"No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No,"  
he gasped, chanting loudly, until it became a whisper. He slid down the gray wall, hands tangled in his black curls.

"This isn't happening, this isn't happening, not again, please no…" Loki sobbed, curling up against the wall. He didn't want to go upstairs; he didn't want to endure through the pain again. Not again, not ever again. _It's a dream, it's all a dream. Perhaps, if I just wait here, I shall wake up._ With that, Loki sat against the wall, quietly wiping his tears away, looking about his surroundings and looking at his fingers. It felt as if hours had passed, doing absolutely nothing. His muscles twitched, tired and tense. He had enough of it. Finally the god stood, and marched over to find the keys. This was _his_ dream. _He_ can change it however he wanted. If Thor killed him in the previous, he was going to strike back. He looked through the drawers, and finally found the key, however in a different location. Glancing at the heart door, he went upstairs, getting the keys in door 1 and 2, paying no attention to Thor, although his heart did skip a beat. He grabbed the last key at the door 3 and clenched it tight in his hand, staring at the door with the head. He glanced back to see his brother behind him, headless and heartless. He stared at the gaping hole in the chest and quietly pondered. Perhaps… he could choose another path? A path without any destruction? A path… a door… with love?

He darted off, making his way swiftly down the stairs, glancing back to see if his brother was following. Sure enough, there he was, moving every time he looked off. Barely out of breathe, yet heart beating fast, he reached the door with the heart, pressing the key into the slot. _Please open, please… please…_

_Click_

Loki smiled in triumph and swung it open, aware of the darkness and the light up ahead. He cautiously walked forward, a distinctive sound of a heart beat making his stop in his tracks.

_Thump_

_Thump_

_Thump_

Loki walked on, until he saw the large heart, hung up on a golden string, white light shining upon it from above. It beat steadily, and Loki watched in fascination as it beat, slowly reaching out. It was warm in his hands, delicate and easily broken. He could see the color, bright red, the color of Thor's cape. He gently tugged, the string coming off in ease. It seemed to beat faster in fear, as if Loki would crush it. Loki loosened his grip on it, his own heart beating rapidly.

"Shh… It's okay… everything's going to be okay…"

Perhaps it understood, perhaps it was coincidence, but it slowed down to a much healthy beat, bobbing along in his hands. Loki smiled, turning around and making his way to the door. He saw Thor's body outside, quietly waiting and stiff. Loki willed his trembling legs to move closer. He would be lying if he said he wasn't scared. He was absolutely terrified. What if Thor tried to kill him like last time? He inched forward, extending his arm out. The body reached for the heart, grabbing it, than violently stuffing it in his chest. Loki gasped, clenching at the sound of flesh squeezing. Than the body stopped, standing straight, but not too straight. Loki could see the heart beating, calming down.

"Thor?"

The body responded, taking a step forward, arms reaching out. Loki yelped in fear, but the realization slowly sank in. Thor continued to stay that way, maybe even awkward, shifting his feet from side to side. He was asking for a hug. With attentiveness, Loki made his way forward, and embraced his headless brother. The great arms held him, and even though the body had no head, Loki could feel the big goofy smile blooming in the golden face. He let out a laugh, and he could just imagine Thor laughing with him, the big hand in cue patting his back. Finally, the two brothers let go of each other, and Loki could finally see changes. Thor's armor, though still quite ripped, shone, and the cape red as he remembered. It was a great change from all the black and gray. Thor swung his arm, indicating to go upstairs, and Loki followed gladly. They walked into the room with the exit and Thor reached out to open it.

It wouldn't.

Thor kept on shaking the handle, finally stopping in his defeat. He reached for the Mjölnir on his hip.

"It's no use Thor. It doesn't work."

To his surprise, Thor stopped, dropping his arms to his side. Finally it turned around, seeming to read the drawings on the wall. Fear stroke Loki once more as he realized what Thor was doing. He turned around to find the door, but it wasn't there. He whipped around again and saw in time Thor slowly turning around to him. Instead of grabbing his hammer, he seemed to be quite empty handed as he approached Loki. Loki staggered back, pressing himself against the wall.

"Brother please…" he whimpered. He closed his eyes and braced himself…

… Only to feel nothing. Instead, he felt something slip out of his pocket. He heard the footsteps backing away and he dared his eyes to open. Thor stood where he previously did, but he was holding something, something small and silver.

It was the blade he used to stab Thor.

Loki's eyes widened in shock as Thor slowly raised it, the great arms trembling, fists clenched tight around the small weapon.

"Thor… don't… BROTHER DON'T!"

The blade swung down, stabbing Thor in the stomach. It swung again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again.

Loki could only watch in shock as the blood spluttered out, the sound of knife cutting flash loud in his ears. He watched in wide mouth and in choked gasps as Thor slowly came to a stop, falling to his knees, arms weakly rising again in an attempt to stab himself. Loki rushed forward and grabbed the weak arms, grabbing the blade slicked with blood away, the silver clattering on the cold gray floor.

"Brother… brother…"

It came out as a silent prayer, and his tears came out silently as Thor's body trembled, falling into Loki's arms. The bloody arm weakly pointed at the door, then reached up to Loki's face, swiping the tears on the cheek, before falling down. Loki watched in silence, eyes wide, mouth gaping like a fish out of water, tears falling into the deep red. He choked, the smell of iron filling his nostrils. He staggered up, falling onto the door heavily. He fumbled at the handle, the slippery blood making it hard. He finally grasped it and turned, the light enveloping him. He staggered forward, mind not quite processing. The tears continued to fall, mixing with the blood stained skin and cloth. He glanced back, his body coming to a stop.

_Thor's dead_

_Thor's dead_

_Thor's dead_

_My brother is dead_

_Dead_

_Dead_

_Dead_

_Dead_

_Gone_

_FOREVER_

* * *

**it seems loki is having another of his nightmares :(**

**im afraid guys i wont be updating until november the 27th. im so sorry! thats the day my exams finish! until than, please, be patient**

**a huge thankyou to everyone that commented before!**

**thanks for the suggestions in to sleep well guys!**

**PLEASE oh please review! it motivates me so much! i get less of a writer block! (which was what i had actually)**

**(sorry for any mistakes)**

**review!**

**lol- lots of love**


	8. Unraveled before you

**Hello Everyone!**_  
_

**My humblest and deepest apologies for the late update! I became recently infatuated with a movie called '9' by shane acker, and it has been my drive to draw 9 and do nothing else. So sorry!**

**Also! Thank you Hera for the advice and critique! :D I deeply appreciate it and thank you for going to the extent and attempt in helping my terrible shakespeare! i have come to a decision and I need everyone to read!**

**_Thor's shakespeare will not be as thick and will have a heavy influence of midgardian language seeing as he has been around humans and their language for a very long time. that is why he will speak as he does from now on. less shakespearean but ofc, no slangs!_  
**

* * *

_"You do have a story inside you. It lies articulate and waiting to be written, behind your silence and you are suffering."_

_– Anne_

**Ch8 – Unraveled before you…**

It was exactly 10:38pm, 35 seconds into the night and the countdown to the next commercial in the television when the incident happened. Everyone was in the living room on the 13th floor, eating popcorns and enjoying themselves, Rodgers and Romanoff back from their mission along with Barton, cooped up on the couches, taking a break in their worried lives. There was no harm in resting. Bruce sat nearby; head nestled upon the cushions, Tony right by, handful of dry fruits and a glass of alcohol. Thor sat on the carpet, eyes fixated on the flashing colors, mouth working away on the popcorns. Everything was perfect. Everything was fine, until 10:38pm, 35 seconds exact when it was heard. It was one of the most horrifying, blood curdling screams anyone had ever heard, or even fathomed to imagine. It resonated, bounced upon the grand walls of the tower, striking the heart of everyone. It sent Thor straight up, eyes wide, heart beating faster than light. Bruce came to a bolting stand next to Tony, heart pacing, struggling to calm down. Tony grabbed Bruce's shoulder, trying to calm him down. Natasha had her hands at her holster, Barton already in hand with his weapons. No one moved, and that was only 3 seconds, until Rodgers spoke, breaking them out of trance.

"Was that… Loki?"

Everything happened so fast. Thor was running across the room, heading towards the emergency stairs, everyone close by. In one moment there were stairs, stairs, stairs, spiraling up, the next was a blank corridor. Tony blinked. It was as if he was running through someone else's home. He couldn't recognize half of the things he saw as he ran by. The corridors seemed to stretch on, and Natasha briefly wondered how this was possible. Though it seemed as if they had been running for hours, it was another blink of an eye, and they were in front of Loki's door. There was no hesitation when Thor grasped the handle and swung it wide open.

"LOKI!"

There was utter darkness. Bruce turned the switch light on, and gasped at the sight.

There was blood everywhere.

Thor staggered back, the crimson color blinding him with memories. Tony stepped into the room with others, and everyone gaped in unison. What brought more shock was not just the blood.

Loki wasn't there.

"How is this possible? I thought you said he couldn't escape!" Barton was in the edge of screaming. The calm assassin had his mind everywhere, the blood causing more confusion to his restless heart.

Tony seemed confused, grabbing at his hair and stumbling away from the red.

"He can't! He couldn't… It's impossible! I tested multiple times and the shock from the inside would be felt from the radius of 10 centimeters and if touched by him would electrocute him to nothing and I even made a remodel of it with the circuits in both parallel and serial and I made sure that the resistors wouldn't overload –!"

"Tony!"

The billionaire stopped eyes wide. Bruce grabbed the man by the shoulders, and could just see how afraid he was.

"Right now isn't the time Tony. Think straight. Maybe he hasn't escaped after all? Maybe he's still in here."

"My brother is not in here!" Thor bellowed, walking towards the team after ransacking the whole place. Thor hadn't exactly ransacked the room, for it was ransacked before they had got in. Steve seemed to be fixated with the blood, face etched in concern.

"Then we should search the tower. He couldn't have gone so far by the looks of the blood."

"We could do that, or we could do something else. Jarvis!" Tony seemed to have remained his cockiness.

"_Sir. It seems Loki is in the kitchen on the 15__th__ floor. I suggest going up by the elevator and raising the speed by 60%, for it seems, he is a terrible state."_

"We'll do exactly that. Come on!"

The trip towards the kitchen, everything seemed to go in slow motion. A movie played backwards, the team ran to their location, their pants quiet despite how worn they were. There was another noise, much louder than their loud footsteps. As they rounded the corners, the sounds of metal clanging grew louder and louder, along with feral breathing in the kitchen. Once arriving at the scene, many thoughts raced through their minds in less than a split second. They had seen many terrible things, seen many corpses with dead white eyes and bleeding mouths, wounds fresh as the morning dew to the rotten corpses. Many of the sights had scarred them, caused them to wake up in fits, but none were as violent as what they saw.

Thor froze, the Mjölnir heavy upon his belt. His breathing came to a stop, chest tight. Vile probed at his throat and he clenched his fists, struggling to utter one word.

Loki stood hunched before them, back facing them. There was blood everywhere on the kitchen, Loki stepping on to the puddles. Pots and pans were scattered everywhere, the cupboards wide open and empty of its' possessions. Cutlery lay loose upon the wide tiles, wet blood marking the fridge as it hung open. The messy black hair bobbed slowly, showing a bit of the high pale cheek bones covered in blood. The god continued to breathe louder, not noticing the team as they stared in shock.

"Brother…?"

Loki stopped. Slowly, he turned, body first, head rotating the second. Silent gasps echoed through the room as the god revealed his face. Blood covered his mouth, decorating the pale skin like how wine did with the white carpet. The emerald eyes were wide and dilated, darting as it met the warm blue of Thor. His hands were tight around his chest, clenching an object tightly. The dazed eyes grew wider by the second as the tired mind seemed to process what he was looking at. Tony couldn't help but let out a small sound.

"Oh my God."

Loki slowly approached, his steps stumbling, hand slowly reaching out.

"Thor?"

It was quieter than a whisper, almost afraid that Thor would disappear once he said anything. Thor swallowed, eyes brimmed with tears.

"It is I Loki…"

Loki violently staggered back, unbelieving the words the god said before him.

"No… It can't be you. It can't be you…"

"Why not Loki?" Thor took a step forward. Loki took a step back.

"Because… because… you're dead… you're dead… you're not alive anymore…" Loki looked up, face filled with such anguish.

"You killed yourself. I watched you die. It's my entire fault… We can escape this together… escape this chain of cruel fate… This cycle… look!" Loki slowly brought out the object he was holding, "I found the second key. We can get out. We can escape. We can be together. Thor… Don't die… Thor…"

"Loki, I am not going to die…!"

Loki seemed to not have heard him as he staggered back, bringing the key back to his heart. His knuckles whitened and he gave a ragged sigh. All of a sudden, it all changed. His whole demeanor changed. As Loki looked up, his eyes were more wild, the shaky hands dropping to the side. It was like seeing a complete different person.

"You're dead. I watched you die."

Tony watched and realized Loki was reaching for an object on the table.

It was a knife

"You died. I watched you die. You're dead."

The pale hands gripped tightly among the handle. Violent green met the morbid blue.

"Who are you?"

Something like an animal snarl emitted from the god's throat as he hunched forward with the knife and charged. Natasha leaped forward in action, swiping at Loki's feet, making him stumble. Barton came to the side, dislodging the knife painfully from the god's hold. There was a sound of bone breaking, but Loki didn't seem to notice. His eyes were livid; perhaps even a different color, a morsel of black. His face showed no sign of pain… as if he was possessed. The two assassins secured the irate god, hooking their arms under his arm and pushing at his head. Loki laughed, dropping the key he had in his hand. The laugh too was different… very different. It wasn't the usual laugh they heard from Loki where he mocked them as 'mortals', it wasn't emotional, it didn't cover the lies nor the truth. The laugh was pure menace, full of malice and savage intents.

It was unlike Loki.

But then again, what did they know of him?

"Do you remember Thor? When you held that needle? When you sawed me with that leather twine?" A maniac smile graced his features as he continued, "Well guess what? I got it out! You can't silence the god of lies! The god of trickery! The god of CHAOS!" Loki spat the thick black string out from his mouth and laughed and laughed…

* * *

It was a blink of an eye that Loki stood before them covered in blood. The next blink and he was limp in the assassin's arms, than on the ground, drowning in the crimson blood of his own. Bruce rushed past Thor who stood there in silence, eyes glued to the thick string that lay in the pool of blood. Tony along with Rodgers brushed past, helping the doctor.

"The blood… it's not coming from his mouth." Bruce informed, examining Loki's mouth worriedly.

"It's from the foot Banner!" Rodgers said, hurriedly covering the wound with his shirt.

"But I stitched it…" He eyed Thor slowly bending down and picking up the black string Loki had spat out before. It was the same string he had used to saw up Loki's injured foot. Thor twirled it around his fingers, eyes not quite focusing.

"You will not make a mockery of everything Loki."

It came out as a whisper, laced with nostalgia, but it was loud enough for Banner to hear as Rodgers hoisted Loki's limp body up. Barton watched as Loki's body was taken away and eyed the rest of the group.

"I think… we need to look at the security cameras to understand what the heck just happened, 'cause I sure as hell don't understand what just happened here."

Stark gave a wearied nod as he looked at the mess around him. "I'll send the damn cleaning bots in I guess." He muttered, kicking at the pots and pans scattered about.

It was a long trip back to the medical wing of the tower, stitching back the wound and washing away the blood, bandaging the broken wrist. Bruce eyed the stitching string that Thor held in such dim focus, as he settled the unconscious god back to bed. During the whole process down to the medical ward and taking care of Loki, Thor was not himself. Usually he would be the one holding Loki, eyes laced with salt water; nose flared with compassion and breathes short and fast. He would never take his eyes off of his precious brother. But ever since Loki spat the string out, he never took his eyes off it, never lay his eyes on Loki. It wasn't just him who seemed to notice something was awfully off. Rodgers often had looked back at the thunder god as he carried Loki, wondering if Thor was going to ask to carry him. Barton continued to glance at Thor, even now, wondering if he was going to yell at him for breaking Loki's wrist. Tony and Natasha exchanged worried looks, as they could obviously tell something was very wrong with the loud obnoxious happy-go-lucky god. It was just as Bruce finished mending Loki's wrist that he couldn't take enough of it.

"Thor, come clean; what happened?"

Thor blinked a several times, as if he hadn't closed his lids for days. He cocked his head to the doctor's direction, slowly lowering the string.

"What dost thou ask of?"

"You know what I'm talking about. What just happened there? What did he mean by what he said? How did he get out?"

Tony clapped his hands, pointing to the screen behind them.

"Jarvis, show us the surveillance take of Loki's room after Bruce's left his room."

"_Yes sir."_

The black screen fuzzed and shortly appeared the night vision of Loki's room, 3 hours and 13 minutes ago. It showed Loki sleeping quietly, no unusual activities.

"Fast forward."

The screen obliged, showing Loki moving about quickly in sleep, nothing was wrong until 10:38pm, until the screen gave a loud static.

"What's going on Jarvis? Slow down!"

"_Sir, it seems we are missing some footage of tonight for 5 seconds."_

"How is that possible? Did we get hacked in? is there a virus?"

"_Problem cannot be identified sir."_

"…Play the video back before the missing footage."

"_Yes sir."_

The screen whirred back to Loki lying down, sleeping, no problem. It cut off with the static for a few seconds and the screen came back.

The room was upside down.

In the missing 5 seconds, Loki had done something, for the curtains were ripped, the drawers were all flung open, the mirror broken, book case tipped over, spilling book everywhere. The lamp beside Loki's bed was on, flickering on and off every few seconds. In the middle of it all was Loki, hair wild and crazy, standing in the middle of the room. He was looking at something, staring and staring. The screen gave fuzz and the team could see Loki sitting on the bed, dazed. Suddenly he grabbed his feet and it seemed… it seemed…

"Oh my God…"

It was a whisper, even for the archer.

"He's tearing it off with his teeth."

Loki thrashed his head back and forth, face full of anguish as it got painted with blood. It lasted for 20 seconds, until the visual torture was done, Loki putting the string into his mouth. By now his whole face was covered in blood, the t-shirt ruined along with the bed covers. Bruce glanced over at Thor to see how deeply it affected him. Thor was no longer in his trance. As a matter of fact, he was fully out of it, staring wide eyed at the screen, teeth biting at the bottom lip, great arms hugging on to the plain clothes he now wore.

"Hey, it's 10:38 and 35 seconds! Isn't that when we heard the scream?"

"_Yes Mister Barton, it is."_

"How come we aren't hearing anything right now?"

"Jarvis, is the audio system off?"

"_No sir. It seems it has been deactivated throughout this event."_

The team eyed each other in stun. Who would do that? How could anyone do that?

"Hey what the –"

The team turned their attention back to the screen, where Loki was exiting through the door.

"What, Jarvis, go back!"

The screen gave a whirr. It showed Loki sitting on the bed, than in the door that could be seen in the corner of the screen opened. Loki stood up, and exited.

"Whoa, wait, replay in slow motion! Zoom up on that door!"

In the night vision, the door handle slowly turned, and the door creaked open a little. Tony watched in horror as Loki stood and exited. He whipped behind him in annoyance and betrayal.

"Who opened that door?"

Rodgers narrowed his eyes. "Why are you looking at us? Why would we open the door for him?"

"I don't know! Who else would I be asking? Huh? I made sure that it was only us who could open the door, no one else can touch those handles except us!"

Silence filled the room, all eyes filled with suspicion eyeing each other. It was until Jarvis spoke;

"_Sir, it seems the door did not open from the outside. It opened from the inside."_

Everyone was filled with shock. Tony whipped back to the screen in disbelieve. "Give me a video play back of the camera outside the room!"

The screen now showed Loki's door at 10:38 and 35 seconds. It remained closing, and Tony expected someone to open the door. No one came. It stopped everyone's heart as the door simply opened. They continued watching to see Loki come out, but in their shock, he did not. The door remained slightly ajar for 2 minutes than suddenly closed, just a few seconds before they arrived.

"But… he went out…"

Tony ignored Barton and turned to Thor who seemed just as confused as they were.

"Is this one of your brother's tricks?"

"Nay, it could not have been. Loki with his remaining hand cuffs could not have achieved such a deed."

"Then how is this possible?" Tony felt as if he would explode. "Jarvis, I want you to search every inch of the tower for any intruders and viruses, malware, ANYTHING that could have done this. Scan and check and double check and triple check for all I care!"

"_Yes sir."_

Tony rubbed his temples and gave a tired sigh. Bruce patted his back. Tony turned and gave the doctor a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of this."

"Well, I think the easier way is to ask the escapist rather searching the whole tower." Barton eyed angrily at the unconscious god before them. "Maybe it was the Chitauri. Maybe it was the 'the other.' We should wake him up and find out now!"

Natasha shot Barton a glance. "Don't be an idiot Barton. You know better than I that he needs his rest." Barton gave a useless frustrated growl and sat down at one of the chairs next to the bed.

"I know… it's just… I just want to know the truth, you know?"

"Speaking of truth… Thor, what is it with you and Loki and that stitching string?"

Thor looked at Banner with a questioning look. It quickly turned to a face that tried to cover another emotion. "I… I do not know what ye speak of."

"Come with it Thor. Leather twine I know is a thick material and it's different to the string I used to stich his foot… However, it's the same material I saw stitched onto Loki's mouth."

Thor's eyes widened, his whole body coming to a stiff standstill in shock. The god seemed out of words. The rest of the team eyed the two men in suspicion.

"What? What's going on? Leather twine was stitched on reindeer game's lips? Come on, is this a joke?" Tony gave a small laugh, Barton quietly joining in the nervous sound. It stopped when Thor hung his head in shame, the breathing coming ragged.

"How… how do you know Doctor Banner?"

Bruce gave a sharp intake. So it was true. What he saw much earlier was the truth. "Loki showed me." Thor's head whipped up in shock. "He showed me an image. His mouth was stitched shut with leather twine. There was blood everywhere. Thor… what happened."

Thor gave a quiet laugh. "Yes… My brother does sometimes have the power to show the people he can connect to images with his mind. It was a gift… nothing connected to magic. If only he used his powers for good… such a deed would not have happened."

Silence filled the room as everyone looked at Thor in shock. Natasha reached and touched her lips, imagining them being pierced with a needle.

"Did you… did you do that to him? He said you held the needle –"

Thor's fist slammed against the white wall, indenting it, dust and debris tumbling out as he removed his shaky hands.

"It was not I who did it. I would have never… I … did not mean to…."

"Thor... Tell us." Steve laid his hand on the great shoulders, trying to sympathize with the god. Thor gave a huge breath of intake. He sat down on one of the many chairs and rested his head on his hands.

"My brother... many years ago, he was very different. He loved adventure, especially with me. Back then, he did not know of his true heritage. My brother is a frost giant from Jotunheim; they were fearful monsters whom killed many mortals and tried to take over Midgard. They are… were savages. My father fought against them in a great battle and stole their winter casket; an object that could freeze about anything its' frost giant user wanted. He did not only take that, but also Loki, son of Laufey, the king of Jotunheim. My brother, when magic is fully drained out of him, will turn into it, but also turn into one in contact with frost giants or the winter casket. From growing up, he was seen very differently. He was weaker, less fair, the odd one out. He did not have the same hair as I, the same eyes as I, not the bravery as I. because of me, my brother was bullied relentlessly… all because of me. But he was strong, determined not to let such trivial things as others bring him down. We loved each other, did everything with each other. I knew his secrets, he knew mine. That time, I knew none of the frost giants, and we saw them as bedtime story monsters, nothing that could haunt us. My brother was always full of tricks to make us laugh. That is why he is called the god of trickery, god of mischief. It was nothing nasty, it never truly hurt anyone. Father disapproved of his actions. He disapproved… of everything Loki did. Loki had countlessly tried to win father's love and approval. I believe that unknowingly, father pushed him away, and favored me more. I believe it was unintentional. As we grew older, Loki became more and more bitter. He realized he was different, but he did not know how. It was there that he won the title of 'god of lies', for he kept all truth sealed behind those lips, only lies coming out. That was what others thought. My brother one day came to my chambers and confessed his feelings. He had told me not to tell anyone, for he knew others would think he lied. But the true reason why he was named, the reason he chose the title itself, was because he could tell if others were lying. But that was back then. That was before the incident, when his heart was still pure and filled with compassion for his family. It was one night, when he did the unthinkable; he cut of lady Sif's hair. He confessed to the deed and promised to get her hair back. He went to the dwarves that are called the sons of Ivallda, to fix Sif new golden hair along with more beautiful items. He wanted to please everyone, make them happy, to make them approve of him. He made a wager with two other dwarfs, Brokk and Eitiri, that if they could make something better that they could have his head. It was there where my hammer was created, Mjölnir. They came back and Sif's hair was back, father given his spear that he uses to this day, and many other valuables to many Asguardians. He finally gave me mine, and I am filled with shame to say that I never realized that he went through the wager, for the sake of us. He waged his own head to the dwarves for he trusted us. But we betrayed that trust. When it was time to be judged, everyone saw the Mjölnir created by Brokk was deemed most beautiful. We did not know of the wager, but it was fine, for Loki had said to have his head, it would mean to cut his neck off, which was not part of the wager. Brokk came to me in plea for justice and I… "

Thor stopped. He hung his head lower and gave a quiet sob.

"… I told Loki, who looked to me with such trust, with such honesty, that he would not make a mockery of everything. I was filled with such anger of what he had done to lady Sif, I was not thinking clearly and I helped… I helped the dwarves sew his mouth shut with leather twine. He screamed and cried for mercy, for help, to me, to stop. No one listened. No one cared. No one even thanked him for the gifts that everyone now uses with happiness. Once sewing his mouth shut, everyone laughed and laughed. After that, things weren't the same anymore. Sif's hair turned black in a reason I do not know why after that day, and Loki was rarely seen. We spoke as little as possible. Loki trusted no one after that."

Tony had a hand over his mouth in shock, Natasha was sitting next to Barton looking sick, Bruce had his hands in his wavy locks, not wanting to believe what he heard, and Steve was staring at the thunder god with horror and disbelief. Barton's face was blank, staring at the unconscious go before him.

"I was naïve and unwise back then, every bad thing that happened in Asguard was pointed to Loki, and when he denied, when he looked to me for help, I did not listen but point fingers. My brother was left alone to solve problems that he did not create. We grew apart, and it was all because of me. One day, my coronation came, for me to become king. Although we had grown apart, it was time to come back together, and I did not remember any of the hatred, nor the incident. Loki looked happy, but I did not see the disappointment and hurt in his eyes. It was only last year I found out how much Loki had tried to gain my father's affection and approval, and gained nothing. It is a long story, but I will say that I would not be the god you see before me if it weren't for Loki, who helped become who I am now. Loki fell from the bifrost after learning his true heritage and trying to kill his own people, the frost giants, for father. To please him. Father still did not approve when Loki was hanging by a thread to death and Loki…. He let go… and I could do nothing but watch and cry. What I did not know was that he fell through many universes and realms, finally ending up with the other, being fuelled with hatred and cold emotions. The disaster of Chitauri invading Midgard would not have happened if that incident… of Loki's lips being sewn shut… had not happened. To this day I am still naïve, for when I took Loki from your ship, all I did was question of the tesseract and point Mjölnir at him."

Once Thor was done talking, no one else talked. What was there to talk about? How shocked they were in finding such a secret behind Loki? Natasha heaved and finally stood, approaching Thor. Thor looked up, quite confused, until Natasha slapped him. Hard. The room moved forward, Barton coming to a stand and holding Natasha back who looked to murder the thunder god. Thor just blinked a several times, shocked by what just happened. He rubbed his cheeks and turned to Natasha who was seething, silent tears falling out of her eyes. Her voice came out in hushed tones.

"How could you… how could you do that to him? He may not be your true brother… but he loved you… and you betrayed his trust…!" she lunged forward.

Barton tried to keep her still as she kicked and growled, Rodgers coming to aid him.

"Stop it agent Romanoff! Thor already is filled with guilt!"

"Guilt... just guilt isn't going to help Loki! Look at him, tearing his life away because of you! Feeling shame and guilt is going to take you nowhere! You have to take action before its' too late… because it's too late for me. My adopted brother… Vindiktor… he loved me so, but I broke his heart, I betrayed his trust. I knew how much he cared for me, but it was too late to apologize. Our house was burnt by the Nazis, and he was consumed by the flames along with mother and father. I was rescued by a Russian soldier whom took care of me. It was too late for me to make amends Thor. Don't let it be too late for you too."

Natasha stopped her kicking and sobbed quietly, the two men holding her and comforting her. Thor looked down, unable to see the woman he made cry. Barton turned to Loki and sighed.

"She's right. You've got to make amends. WE need to make amends."

Steve nodded. "Monsters aren't born. They're created. We can change things for the better."

The Avengers glanced at one another. Tony gave a small smile.

"Then let's make an agreement! From now on, we'll take care of Loki, and create happy memories to take with him when he goes back to Asguard or even stays here. We've got to get rid of those bad memories, so we'll replace with something more positive that he'll be able to treasure for years to come. Everyone agree?"

Tony brought his arm in front of him. Bruce looked at it and smiled, placing his hand over Tony's.

"I'm in."

Steve placed his hand over Bruce's.

"You can count me in."

Natasha staggered forward, wiping her blurry eyes with a small smile. She gently placed her hand over Steve's.

"I'm in, whether you men like it or not."

They laughed. Thor got up shakily, giving an apologetic nod to Natasha who returned it. He placed his hand over hers.

"Aye. Let us make my brother smile!"

Everyone turned around to Barton who stood at the bed of Loki. He glanced back and watched as Loki gave quiet breathes, blood dripping into the tube. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"He may have controlled my mind and make me do the unthinkable… but he endured worse, and by the looks of it…"

He placed his hand over Thor's.

"He deserves better. I'm in, and I want these memories to be great."

The team nodded at each other and left the room, all in agreement of laying happy memories for Loki. They left the room to go to bed, for it was truly a long tiring day and they were exhausted. They left the room, filled with hope and excitement for the next day, to open out to Loki of the joys in life.

They left the room

They left Loki

Left him to the entity that waited in the shadows.

Left him to his nightmare

To death

* * *

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